Watching: Hero or Monster
by Wrath of The Sun Deity
Summary: I have permission from hyvnn (formerly Mr AnimeKidd and Dreaming of the Moon) to do a reading version (or in this case a watching) of his story Hero or Monster. I hope you guys enjoy it. Make sure to read the authors note. Note: I would love to get 150 reviews or more. I'll understand if that's not possible. I promise to get the next chapter out the moment it's done.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own the Percy Jackson series or Naruto.**

 **I have permission from hyvnn (formerly Mr AnimeKidd and Dreaming of the Moon) to do a reading version (or in this case a watching) of his story Hero or Monster. This, though, is a revised edition. I'm posting this, though, before the new revised chapter comes out. I can't promise that this will always be the case, so don't expect me to post the next chapter before his.  
**

 **If you like it, leave a review down below. Whether it's to sing high praises, or to give me HELPFUL critiscism, I'll appreciate it.**

 **Enjoy**

* * *

" _There is a saying,_ " A deep voice resonated within Percy's mind, " _All things come with a price._ " Percy looked around wildly, panic setting within his heart, as he tried to find the source of the voice.

" _Don't try and find me._ " The voice stated, amusement evident in its tone, " _And I suggest you calm down. Your Uncle looks like he's about to have a heart attack._ "

Percy suddenly remembered that he wasn't alone, how he forgot in the first place was a mystery in itself. As he looked at the King of Olympus, Zeus, he noticed how his skin was turning an interesting shade of red, just like Thalia did whenever she got angry. He was going to have to defuse the situation as quickly as possible, "I apologize, my lord. What were you saying?"

Zeus gazed at his nephew, disapproval evident on his face, as he held his lightning bolt, "What assurance do I have that you won't betray Olympus?."

"You have none, my lord. All you have is my oath." Percy bowed, his head almost touching the ground, as he knelt before his King. From the corner of his eye, he could see his father, Poseidon, clenching his trident, ready to smite any who would dare touch his son.

Zeus snorted, "That will have to do for now, but know that I will be watching you." Percy breathed out a sigh of relief, that could have gone bad really quickly.

" _Well done, Percy. Now... let us talk._ " The voice stated as the world around Percy shifted, like a ripple in the water. The young demigod clenched his eyes shut, trying to shield his eyes from the disorienting sight.

* * *

" _You can open your eyes again,_ " The voice stated.

Percy did just that and was surprised to find himself in a new location, one quite unlike any other. It was an all-encompassing white, and nothing else except for two great doors.

In front of him, a white shadow stood, its mouth set in a wide grin, " _Do you know who I am?_ " It asked as it gestured to itself. Its grin turned into a frown when Percy shook his head in the negative, " _A shame... but worry not. I shall rectify that mistake soon enough._ " It raised its hand, its long fingers turning into a long blade, and stabbed Percy in the stomach.

"Ugh!" Percy gasped, blood spilling out of his mouth, as he fell to his knees, "Wh-What are you doing!?" His hands were gripped on the blade in his chest as he tried to remove it.

" _Don't bother to try and remove it. It's already fused to your body._ " The creature stated with a shake of its head, " _Soon, your body will be my vessel into this new world._ "

"Why?" The demigod asked with a glare, "Why are you doing this to me!?" He roared. his hands slowly turning white.

The white shadow shook its head, " _I'm afraid that you won't live long enough for me to explain my reasons, but know that it is for a good cause,_ " A smile made its way onto the creature's lips, " _Now sleep._ "

Percy's head fell as he gazed at his arms, his entirely white arms, "Answer this. What is happening to me? What is this white stuff?" He could feel it creeping up his arms, his body slowly being converted into whatever the substance was.

" _That? It's just the very matter that the universe is made of._ " The creature grinned, its teeth visibly sharp, " _Consider yourself privileged. You will know the Truth._ "

That was the last thing Percy heard, as the strange substance had covered his ears and started crawling up his neck, "Whatever happens... you will not win!" It had now covered his mouth, making it impossible for him to speak.

As the substance crawled to his eyes, he saw the creature give him a lazy salute before everything went white.

* * *

As 'Percy' opened his eyes, he saw eleven weapons pointed at his body, "Ugh... guys? Someone mind explaining to me why I have weapons shoved in my face?"

As he looked around, he noticed the grim looks on everyone's faces, Dionysus included, "Ah... I see. You've noticed it, haven't you?" A small chuckle escaped his lips as he ran a hand through his hair, "I had hoped to keep this a secret, but I guess I was a bit too slow."

"Where is he!?" Poseidon demanded as he zoomed towards 'Percy', his trident pressing against his Adam's apple, "Where is my son!? What have you done with him!?" The Earth shook under his powerful voice.

"Your son?" The boy asked, feigning shock as he stared into the Sea God's eyes, "I find that highly unlikely. I've seen his memories, and while he may think of you as his father, he is most definitely **not your son!** " He finished the last part with a strong glare, his emerald eyes burning in silent anger.

His hands grabbed the trident pressed against his neck and pushed it off, although with a bit of strain, "Where were you when he had skinned his knee for the first time? Where were you when Gabriel Ugliano beat Perseus into unconsciousness? Why didn't you visit him!?"

Zeus frowned as he stood up, his lightning bolt still pointed at 'Percy', "He could not. The ancient laws forbid such actions."

The boy snorted, his hair turning a stark white, "Laws. You claim to follow them, yes?" Seeing them nod, he continued, "Then please explain to me why you are ignoring all the other ones!"

Poseidon growled as he pushed back with all his might, his muscles visibly straining, "Do not change the subject! What have you done with my son?"

'Percy' rolled his eyes, this was going to take forever, "Fine. Since you seem so adamant about knowing... I absorbed him. Wait... not that's not right. I froze his soul, for a lack of better words, and took his body for my own."

Poseidon staggered back, his trident dropping out of his hand, "Why? Why did you do that!?" He demanded as he started to take his true form, a green glow emerging from his body, "I'll kill you myself!"

"Do you even know who, or what I am?" 'Percy' asked as he stared at the god in front of him, "I am the Universe, the World. Some have called me God. I am all and I am you. You all may call me Truth"

Apollo raised his hand, a frown on his face as he stared at the now named Truth, "When you say God, do you mean the same one from the Bible?" If so, then they would all be screwed.

A smile made its way onto Truth's lips as he pointed at the Sun god, "You can see it can't you? My very existence can not be denied because I am truth itself."

"I know," Apollo admitted, his head bowed as he looked away from the vastly superior being, "These laws... what are they?"

Truth made to answer but was forced to dodge when he noticed Poseidon barreling towards him, ready to smash his body, "Now that's just rude. I don't want to harm you but if you don't stop, I will have to resort to violence."

The sea god snarled at him, too far gone into his anger to be able to use reason, "You... you... you killed my son! I'll kill you myself... you BASTARD!"

Poseidon dug his fingers into the ground and pulled. All of Olympus shook as he ripped out a piece of the ground, ready to smash Truth's head in. Before he could throw it, though, Truth slammed the ground with his two hands and willed dozens of marble swords to grow out of the ground and surround the god.

"Throw that at your own peril," He warned his host body's father, "But know that if you do, you will suffer for it." He sent a warning glance to all of the other deities, daring them to make a move, "Each one of those blades is pointed at a vital organ. If you even step forward, I will skewer you on them. It won't kill you, being gods and all that, but it sure as hell will cause you untold agony."

With a clap of his hands, the damage done to the room was undone, leaving it in a pristine condition, except for the hundreds of swords sticking out of the ground. Looking back at Poseidon, he sighed, "I'm sorry for your loss, well not really, but the point stands. Your son was the only suitable host I could find, everyone else would have just burned up from my presence alone."

Poseidon only glared at him, refusing to speak to the man that robbed him of his son.

Zeus rolled his eyes, not really broken about the sea spawn's death, "Let's step away from this issue, for a minute, and focus on your reason for being here."

Truth nodded, his eyes locked onto a pair of mismatched one, "Ok. I'll be blunt. When the universe was made, a careful balance was formed. You guys have been mucking that up. That needs to stop, like right now. "

Artemis blinked, her hands crossed under her breasts, as she regarded Truth, "I don't think I understand. I mean, we've taken great care to keep things in balance, maybe a few reckless moves here and there but nothing truly dangerous."

Truth shook his head, "I know that, well at least when it comes to you." He gestured to Athena, "But what about her? How do you explain Arachne, Medusa?" He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Making such drastic changes requires a price, one that she did not pay."

Athena frowned, "Hold on a sec." She raised her hands into the air, "Are we really going to allow him to question our actions? I mean he says he's God but what proof do we have of that claim?"

Hermes laughed, "Did you not see what he just did? He stopped Poseidon without even punching him, something that you will never be able to do, might I add." He ignored the icy glare that he had received, "I'm curious, though. What do we do now? If there is a price to pay, what is it?"

Truth rubbed his chin in thought, his green eyes gazing at the ceiling, "I'm in a good mood, so I'll just have you read a book, and hopefully learn a few lessons." He nodded his head, that would work.

"And what happens if we don't learn those lessons?" Zeus asked carefully.

Truth waved off his question, "Don't worry about it. I'll probably just kill you all, except for Apollo and Artemis cause their important, and replace you with better versions of yourselves."

Horror crept up Zeus's face as he registered what Truth had just said. Before he could try anything, though, Truth clapped his hands and the world shifted once more.

* * *

Truth smiled as he appeared in a familiar location, the same white expanse that he had met Percy in. He was currently looking into a mirror, gazing at his new body, a small smile on his face, "Yup... who's sexy and knows it? Me that's who!" He crooned into the mirror as he gazed at the rock hard abs that he now possessed.

His hair was a pale white, looking like freshly fallen snow, whilst his eyes were ruby red, like fresh blood, "I'm a handsome mother-fucker and they'll all know it."

Getting tired of admiring himself, he looked into his closet looking for something to wear. Pulling out a yellow shirt, he blanched, "Looks like someone threw up. I am so not wearing that." Tossing it to the side, he smiled as he pulled out a white shirt with golden cuffs, "Now that's style!"

Snapping his fingers, he watched as the shirt dematerialised and reappeared on his body, "Fits perfectly." Raising his hands to his mouth, he looked up to the sky, "Thank you, Edna!" His only response was a rock, with a small note attached to it, hitting his head.

Nursing his new bump, he picked up the note and smiled, "For the readers, _'NO CAPES!_ '. Good old' Edna. She knows me so well." He threw the rock away, and put the note in his shirt pocket, "Now... what else am I missing?"

Looking around, he noticed that the deities of Olympus were standing behind him, an awkward look on their faces, "Ah sorry about that. I kind of forget you were there."

Zeus's left eyebrow twitched, he did not like being ignored, "Yes... well we don't like being ignored."

" **AND I DON'T LIKE HAVING MY RULES BROKEN!** " Truth roared, silencing Zeus's complaint, "So do me a favour and shut up. I don't have time to deal with ignorant gods."

Zeus baulked in rage, but a withering glare from Hades shut him up.

Truth's eyes were filled with untold fury, "I don't care who you think you are. In my eyes, you are nothing more than impudent children with more power than you should have." He ignored the glare he received, "I will be fixing that!"

"How?" Apollo asked, his eyes glowing golden as he sized up Truth, "How do you plan to fix us? If you haven't noticed... we're immortal. We can not die. We have power unfathomable to mere mortal minds." He paused as he considered his next set of words, "... How can you fix something that doesn't want to be fixed?"

Truth laughed as if he had just heard the funniest thing in the world. "Simple. I'm going to make you realise that you're not as powerful as you make yourself out to be. That there are beings out there, in the great beyond, that can put you all to shame." Closing his eyes, he smiled, "Once I'm done, you'll want to change."

Ares snorted, his fiery eyes glaring at Truth, "Challenge accepted. But once this is all done, I'll break you like the twig you are."

"If you say so," Truth replied in a sing-song voice, his red eyes fluttering in mock shyness, "But when you do... please be gentle." Shaking his head, he smiled ruefully, "But on a serious note, I need you guys to change into something a bit more appropriate."

Apollo frowned, "What's wrong with what we're wearing?" He happened to like his shorts and shirt.

Truth gasped, his hands resting on his chest, as he gazed at Apollo, "Dear boy, you have no idea as to what good tastes are, do you? Shorts? That was so last year. Now it's all about suits and ties." Clasping his hands together, a golden suit formed in front of the Sun god, "Here... try this on."

"Fine," Apollo grumbled as he grabbed the clothes, "Is there anywhere I can change of? Something tells me that I won't like the results if I use my powers to make the clothes appear on my body," He sighed when he saw Truth nod his head, "I thought so."

"Smart lad." With a snap of his fingers, Truth willed a portal to appear in front off Apollo, "If you go through there, you will appear in a small pocket dimension that contains everything you could ever need."

Apollo said nothing as he walked through it, his body disappearing in a flicker of golden light.

Truth clapped his hands excitedly as he gazed at the rest of the deities, "Now for the rest of you." With another snap of his fingers, eleven more portal appeared, "Well, just go on in. Maybe... you'll find something you might enjoy?" The lewd smirk on his face alerted them to the fact that he was thinking something on the x-rated side.

The disgust of Hera's face was visible, mostly because of her scrunched up nose, "I had thought that someone of your stature would be more mature than to make... sex jokes, but I guess I was wrong."

Truth rolled his eyes, "Don't get your panties in a twist, Grandma," He disappeared from their sight... and reappeared right under Hera's chin, "Or you might just turn into a stick in the mud," He gently flicked her chin, "You are jewel in this boring world and I would hate to see that tarnished by your inability to have fun."

Hera did nothing, although there was the barest of blushes on her cheeks, as she stared at Truth, "Don't say such things if you don't want to get smote." She pointed towards Zeus, who was turning red in rage.

"Hmm... I guess your right." Truth raised his hands in surrender, choosing to step a few feet away from the Queen of Olympus, "Go and enjoy yourself."

Hera did just that, whilst Zeus glared at Truth, his teeth gnashing in anger, "Never speak to my wife again! Do you understand me!?"

"As you say. She is your wife, and I shall not steal her from you," Truth smiled at Zeus, not at all threatened by the King of Olympus, "But know this... I do not respond well to threats." He finished with a strong glare, his red eyes glowing brightly. With a snap of his fingers, Zeus was pushed through the portal that was behind him, "That should teach you a lesson."

Looking back, he noticed that only Athena and Artemis remained, the rest having left during his conversation with Zeus and Hera.

"So do you guys need anything or are you just here to stare at my magnificent body?" He asked, his eyebrows wiggling suggestively. Athena rolled her eyes, before leaving through the portal beside her.

"I guess that answers that for Athena. What about you, my virgin goddess?" Truth asked, interested as to why Artemis was still there.

Artemis rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips, as she gazed at the strange being in front of her, "No... I'll be going now." She paused as she turned away, her long black hair swaying in the cool breeze that had suddenly formed, "You are a strange one, a mystery to my senses. You've explained who you are to us... but I don't think we'll ever be able to accept that as the truth."

As she wasn't looking at Truth, she didn't get to see the small smile on his face, "It is your choice if you choose to accept it, but I am glad that you told me this. It shows that you are far more level headed than most people, deities included, that I've met."

Artemis nodded, slightly flattered by Truth's praise, before walking through a portal. As her body disappeared in a silver light, Truth released a small sigh as he fell into the seat that had formed behind him, "Now for the waiting game."

* * *

Annabeth Chase, Cheif Architect of Olympus, sighed as she sat in the Athena cabin, her long blond hair a mess as she gazed at the paper in front of her. Despite putting as much effort as she could into focusing on the paper, she could not. Her worry for Percy won out in the end. With a growl, she crumpled up the paper and threw it into the garbage, "Come back to me soon Percy."

She buried her head into her hands as she silently thought about her boyfriend, the only sign of her life being the constant rising of her back, indicating that she was still breathing.

"I'm sorry," A new voice startled Annabeth, "But he won't be coming back." Annabeth blinked as she raised her head to gaze at the figure in front of her.

"Excuse me?" Annabeth asked, disbelief evident in her voice, "Who gave you the right to decide if he comes back or not?" Her face was narrowed into a scowl as she tried to get a good glimpse at the person who was talking to her.

"No one," The person admitted, why did the voice sound so familiar to Annabeth, "But, on the other hand, I should know. I was the one to essentially kill him."

A strangled cry escaped Annabeth's lips as she finally got a good look at the person, "No! That's impossible! He promised me that he would come back!"

The ruby eyes of 'Percy' gazed uninterestedly at the young demi-goddess, "And in a way, he has. This body, which was once his, has returned to you." A sigh escaped his lips when Annabeth only glared daggers at him, "Come. All will be explained in due time, but know that his body was the only one that could contain my very essence."

With his part said, he grabbed onto Annabeth's arm, "Just so you know, my name is Truth." They disappeared in a flash of white light.

* * *

Annabeth felt like she was going to throw up as she fell to her knees, "Wh-what was that!" She demanded as she turned her towards Truth, her eyes containing the pits of Tartarus within them.

Truth rolled his eyes, "Don't be such a wimp. I only dematerialised your body and remade you at this location." What was it with people being so unreasonably expressive? If everyone was going to be like this, he might as well just have destroyed the entire human race and been done with it

Annabeth scowled at him as she got up, her strength slowly coming back to her. Before she said anything, though, she looked at her surroundings, "What is this place?"

"This?" Truth asked for confirmation, knowing very well that was what she was referring to. Getting a nod, he answered, "It's nothing much... just my personal dimension." Clasping his hands together, a seat emerged behind Annabeth, "Take a seat." Once she did, he continued, "Now I assume you have a lot of questions, so I'll do my best to answer them all, though I can't promise that you'll like them."

Annabeth thought about the questions that she wanted to ask him, most of them concerning getting Percy back, "Why. Why do you need a vessel into this world?"

Truth paused as he looked to one of the twelve portals that floated around them, "That is a very good question, one that I don't have the time to explain fully, but it all pertains to the Olympians." The frown on his face indicated, to Annabeth, that he wasn't happy, "They've been mucking around with the rules with absolutely no regard for the consequences of their actions." He made a wishy-washy motion with his right hand, "Now not all of them are to blame, but some of them, like your mother, are guilty of this to the highest degree."

Annabeth shook her head in vehement denial, "My mother would never do such a thing!"

Truth raised an eyebrow in mock curiosity, "Really? Then please explain to my how Medusa and Arachne came to be!" When Annabeth could not comply with his demand, he snorted, "So eager to come to your mother's defence, and yet you can't even come up with a good excuse."

Annabeth bristled but refrained from lashing out. It had become apparent to her that Truth was someone that she did not want as an enemy, "My mother has her reasons for everything, even if it is morally questionable."

"You still defend her honour... that is commendable." Truth praised her, the barest of smiles tugging at his lips, "Come. I wish for you to join the Olympians as they read a story... although it might be a tv show instead. Still deciding on that but either way, I'm certain that you will enjoy it."

Annabeth said nothing, upset beyond belief with Truth, "Fine..." Her grey eyes were narrowed in determination as she gazed into his red ones, "But I won't give up on getting Percy back."

"If you say so," Truth crossed his hands, his eyes gazing into one the portals that stood to the side, "They should be done soon... I really should change this place." He looked at Annabeth, "Close your eyes, please."

Annabeth did so, she suspected that it would be bad for her health if she didn't follow his instructions, "Ok, they're closed."

Truth scrutinised her for a few seconds, he didn't want her to die after all, "Ok," With a snap of his fingers, the entire dimension changed into that of a grand theatre from the eighteenth century, "You can open your eyes again."

Doing so, Annabeth was surprised to see that she was in a theatre. She stared at Truth, shock evident on her face, "Just who are you exactly?"

"I am the Universe, the World. Some have called me God. I am all and I am you." He replied in a bored tone, he never did like revealing his identity to mortals... the churches had a tendency of calling him a heretic.

Annabeth highly doubted it but chose not to comment on it, "So when is this thing going to start?"

"Now!" Truth grinned at her, "So sit back and enjoy the show." With a snap of his fingers, the portals that floated around them changed into doors, each a different colour to represent the Olympians.

* * *

It wasn't long before everyone started returning, Zeus being the first. Truth gazed at them with the smallest semblance of a smile, his eyes lingering on Artemis slightly, "Welcome back, my friends. While it hasn't been long, I feel that we have gotten to know each other quite well." He paused as he saw everyone staring at the demi-goddess next to him, "Ah, you are wondering about Annabeth, aren't you?"

Hermes nodded, a concerned look on his face, "Yeah... does she know about Percy?" He dragged his thumb against his throat to indicate what he was talking about.

Truth nodded his head, "Yeah she knows, and as you can probably imagine, she isn't very happy about the fact." He spared a glance to said demi-goddess and quickly turned away when he saw her murderous eyes, "But she is here for a reason."

Athena frowned as she stepped forward, concerned by the tears that streamed down her eyes, "Are you ok my daughter?" She may have utterly despised Percy, being her rival's son and all that, but that didn't mean she wanted him to die, mostly because of the effect it would have on her daughter.

"...No," Annabeth replied quietly as she wiped her tears, her eyes burning with the need for revenge "I'm not alright! I just learned that the love of my life is dead! How do you think I feel!?" She asked with an accusatory glare, "But you must be jumping in joy aren't you?" Her chuckle was mirthless as she stared into the grey eyes of her mother, "After all... that is what you wanted, right?"

 _SLAP_

Annabeth blinked as she touched her cheek, feeling the spot her mother had just slapped.

"Never say that again, Annabeth! I may not have liked him, but after seeing how he made you happy, I was ready to give him my blessing. I only want the best for you." Athena replied, tears coming to her own eyes as she looked at her daughter.

Annabeth cried as her mother hugged her, "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry."

As this was going on, Artemis was staring at Truth with a confused expression on her face, "What are you doing?" She could see lightning coursing down his arms and condensing into a small orb.

Truth merely continued working on the orb, adding more power to it every few seconds that passed, "Has anyone ever told you that you look great?" He asked distractedly, "Absolutely fabulous... just give me a sec. I'll have this ready soon enough and then we can talk some more." As he was focused on the orb, he didn't see the flush on the moon goddess's face.

"No..." Artemis mumbled as she clenched the sides of her silver dress tightly, "Wait! What am I saying!?" She shook her head so as to get rid of the blush on her face, "Don't distract me with your silver tongue!"

Truth shrugged, a small smile on his face as he continued working, "I wasn't lying, though. You really are beautiful... you just need someone to help bring it out," He winked at her as he took a mental picture.

Her wavy black hair reached the small of her back with two long bangs framing her face. She wore absolutely no makeup, and yet she was still as beautiful as her sisters, Aphrodite included.

To top it off, she wore a silver dress that reached her ankles and hugged her body, with a slit on the left side that went all the way to her hip. The odd thing, though, was that there was only one sleeve whilst the other one looked like it was torn off. On her chest, she wore a small moon pendant.

Artemis said nothing as she turned away from Truth and crossed her arms, refusing to give him any more fuel. Unfourtantly, by doing this, she gave him a good glimpse of her butt, which, whilst not as big as Aphrodite, was still hugged by the dress.

Truth chuckled to himself, this was almost too easy, "No one's ever flirted with you before, have they?" He asked while ignoring the furious glare from Apollo.

He blinked as the orb stopped growing, before a bright grin split across his face, "Done!" Taking the orb, he used his power to levitated it to the stage, "Ok everyone, take a seat, cause this shows just started!"

Athena nodded, "Come Annabeth, sit with me." She couldn't help but smile as she hugged Annabeth, "I promise you that everything will work out in the end." With her part said, she lifted her daughter up and carried her over to one of the chairs and sat down, "Now, we might as well as enjoy this." Seeing her smile, Athena looked back at Truth and nodded, "We're ready."

"Ok," Looking around, Truth made sure that everyone was ready, "It looks likes we're ready to start." Clapping his hands, the lights dimmed leaving only the orb as a major source of light, "What we are going to see is another universe, one that is called **Hero or Monster**."

"Sounds epic," Ares stated with a grin, his bloody red eyes glinting in excitement, "Hope there's a lot of blood."

Truth said nothing, except roll his eyes, as the orb expanded into a flat surface, "Well I wouldn't know about that but I do know that it isn't a pretty story... sort of" His only response was a laugh from Ares, "Now shush... it's starting."

 ** _Some say my father was a hero. In the eyes of our people, he was nothing but. In the eyes of our enemy, he was a butcher. He cut down the strong, the weak, and everything in between in the name of peace._**

Athena blinked, "That's a rather interesting way to start a story..." She tilted her head in thought as she mentally stored that tidbit of data away for later use.

"Who cares?" Ares grinned, "I like this guy's father already!" He ignored the glare he received from his aunt, Hestia.

 ** _The line between life and death is more intimate than we humans realize. They both accrue every day, sometimes at the same time. Hundreds of people are brought into this world and hundreds more leave it, and it's impossible to completely manipulate such things that are the unknown._**

 ** _We – humanity – spend our whole lives trying to do just that; live. We cling to the idea that just existing is enough. Life and death, said to be polar opposites…_**

 ** _I see them for what they are though…_**

 ** _Mine._**

"..." Hades stared at the screen, dumbstruck by what he just heard, "Did he just say what I think he did?" He barely managed to get the question out before a headache started forming.

"He did..." Artemis muttered, her eyebrows twitching madly. The fact that there was a mortal who would make a claim on life... it irked her as a goddess of childbirth. She looked towards Truth, "I'm not going to like this story am I?"

Truth shrugged, "Honestly... it depends on how uptight you are and how much you value female supremacy." He ignored her glare as he continued staring at the TV, "Remember though... this is me teaching all of you a lesson. Everything you see is but a glimpse into another world."

Annabeth snorted under her breath, trying not to be heard, as she looked at her mother, "I think someone needs to teach him a lesson."

Athena chuckled but said nothing as she hugged her daughter.

 ** _My father, Namikaze Minato: Hero… or Monster?_**

 ** _Sometimes, the world doesn't need another hero._**

"At least someone gets it." Dionysus drawled out with a bored look on his face. A sneer made it's way on his face, "You heroes are all the same, refusing to take a life. How can you expect to protect what is precious when you can't even be certain that your enemies won't come back?"

Annabeth frowned, "Because if we did kill... we wouldn't be any better than them!" She denied vehemently.

The god of madness scoffed, "Keep on telling yourself that."

 _ **Sometimes, what it needs, is a monster.** _

"It doesn't," Artemis denied with a shake of her head, "There are enough of them already in this world, and others."

 ** _My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I am a monster._**

Dionysus smiled slightly, "Maybe this mortal won't be so bad." He turned towards Annabeth, a pointed look on his face, "And... maybe you will learn that your way is not the only one."

Annabeth made to retort but a look from her mother shut her up.

Truth put his index finger to his lips, "Shh... the show is starting, for real, so be quite."

They watched as the scene changed.

 **A six year old Uzumaki Naruto lay on his back in the cold dank alleyway that his attackers left him in not five minutes ago.**

"Wait..." Apollo put up his hand to stop the show, "Are you telling me that someone attacked a child and left him there!?" He was angry, there was no doubt in anyone's mind, as he watched the image in front of him.

"...Yes..." Hestia murmured, horrified by the scene on the screen. The small blue eyed blond looked so much like Zeus that it was scary, "How could someone do something like that?"

Artemis crossed her arms, she had seen this scenario before, whether they be girls or boys, "Only scum can do something like that."

"While I wouldn't use those exact words," Hera said with a sneer on her beautiful face, "I agree with you. People like that don't deserve to live."

 **He was beaten and broken, so much so that his body felt numb. Good. It was better if he couldn't feel the pain right now. He could somewhat hear the faint noises that the still going celebration was making in the distance, mocking him with its cheery attitude, completely ignorant of his suffering.**

Hermes breathed in deeply, doing everything in his power to contain the rage he felt, "...Those fuckers... If I ever learn who did that, I won't hesitate to kill them."

"Get in line," Apollo snarled, his body erupting in golden flames as he clenched his fists tightly, "If you're lucky, I just might leave you an arm when I'm through with them."

Hestia frowned at the two young gods, "I understand your anger... but please don't lower yourself to their levels."

Apollo and Hermes said nothing, too deep into their anger to care about what their aunt said.

 **After a random man walked right into the young blond, said man decided, after noticing who it was he bumped into, that he was going to relieve some pent up stress on the village pariah.**

 **At some time during the beating others began to join in. Before it ended there seemed to be at least ten of them.**

 **One boy – one child – against ten adults, an entire village, an entire world…**

Annabeth frowned, tears prickling at the corner of her eyes, "He's only six years old..." She couldn't find the words to describe how she felt. Compared to him, she lived a great life.

"It's ok Annabeth." Athena comforted her daughter, her arms wrapped around her shoulders, "It's bound to get better."

Annabeth nodded, her eyes brightening up slightly, as she rubbed her eyes dry.

 **Yet, the small smile on his face never faded, even as the tears rolled down his cheeks to meet the damp ground. It had rained the day before, he had remembered. He wondered if, hadn't the member of the zoo not shown up, would they have stopped like they did? Would they have kept going until he no longer drew breath? He was curious, was all.**

Artemis frowned, "No... they would have continued. It's just how humans are" She paused, "Although I am curious about this 'zoo'. They must have quite the power if they are able to stop a mob."

"I'm surprised that the boy can smile after what he's gone through," Haded murmured, surprise evident on his face, "I know that I wouldn't be smiling... actually I would be planning my revenge on all of them."

Apollo scoffed, "You and me both." His blue eyes were narrowed in anger.

 **He always could feel what others felt. He could feel the pain and rage they experienced when they caught sight of him.**

Hestia gasped, "That's awful. How can a six-year-old deal with all that hatred?" Her brown eyes revealed the despair she felt. She looked towards Annabeth, "Annabeth... this is a power that no mortal should have, a young child none the less."

The demigoddess nodded, her eyes locked onto the image of the smiling boy, "That kind of power must be a curse. To be surrounded by people that hated your guts... I don't think anyone could handle that."

Apollo waved his hand in wishy-washy motion, "It depends on the circumstances, the most important one being the state of the people."

 **Just like how he knew they weren't angry at him, but at the thing inside of him. That never stopped them from projecting their anger on his young body though.**

 **Did they ever notice that he never resisted?**

"I don't know what to say. The fact that they take their anger on an innocent boy... my opinion of the opposite sex has just plummeted even more." Artemis announced, her silver eyes narrowed in a glare. How could someone be so heartless?

Athena scoffed, "You and me... you and me."

 **He didn't understand what exactly he housed in his gut, but he was sure that it was the ire of the village. He'd heard the stories of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the "Demon" that attacked the village a few years ago.**

"Ah, now I understand. They lost people in that attack... maybe friends and family." Zeus stated after thinking about it... all the pieces were coming together, "Though it doesn't excuse the people from what they've done."

Truth smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes, "I'm glad you agree. There are some things that just cannot be forgiven."

Artemis smiled at him, "I agree."

 **He put two and two together and figured the red hot and oh so angry feeling in his gut was the supposed destruction incarnate.**

Hermes winced, that was not good, "This is just getting worse and worse isn't it?"

None replied to him, as they too did not have an answer to that question.

 **He understood the feeling he found completely.**

 **Loneliness.**

 **Naruto had been all alone since he was born. No parents, no friends, nothing. It was a nightmare, except he couldn't wake up. He was stuck.**

 **That never kept him down though, because with his innate ability to feel those around him also came the ability to understand them completely. And when you can understand someone completely, you can't help but love them. And Naruto did, he loved his village, his people, with his entire being.**

Hestia smiled, some of the tension leaving the room, "I wholeheartedly agree. When you can understand others that well, that deeply, you can find it deep within yourself to forgive them, even if they have done something against you."

Truth nodded, "And yet it is a mortal that has this power, not a deity." He looked at them, a pointed look on his face.

 **He could connect to others on such a level that if someone paid even a sliver of attention to him, they would realize that the boy was capable of feats no other human was able to perform. He, in the simplest way to put it, was doing the impossible, the unthinkable, the amazing.**

"That's not including his amazing empathy right?" Apollo asked sarcastically. He wasn't in a good mood right now, and when he wasn't in a good mood, he got sarcastic.

 **To connect and understand another's feelings and intentions to such a degree that you could practically understand what the other was thinking was as scary as it was incredible. And that was only the beginning of what Naruto could do with his natural talents. Compared to his other skillset, the empathy was just a small drop in a very large ocean.**

"Oh..." Apollo blinked, "Color me intrigued."

"With you, that's not very hard to do," Artemis smirked, her eyes glinting with mischief. She nearly laughed when Apollo stuck out his tongue.

 **He had never used his other ability on another living being before, but he knew; the outcome would be terrifyingly effective.**

 **Sighing to himself, the little Uzumaki finally stood, already healed of the beating he had received. If his pain caused others joy, even if only slightly, then he would take it. He was the only person who understood the pain of each individual as much as they themselves did, so it just stood to be true that he would be the only one who could handle their anger. He could and would take it all, the pain, like it was his life's mission. He would do that for his precious village.**

"I'll say this once again," Hades started, "He's a better person than me, despite the fact that he is only a child." The fact that he would suffer so that others wouldn't... it warmed his cold heart, "I am certain... that if he were to die right now... he would make it to Elysium."

Hestia smiled, despite disliking the idea that a child should die, "I agree. He is a pure soul in a lawless world. There is no doubt in my mind that he is capable of making it to Elysium, maybe even the Isles of Blest if he tries for rebirth three times."

Poseidon was silent, still reeling from his son's death, there was a small smile on his face.

 **Dusting off the dirt that now occupied his clothes, Naruto began to walk, where to even he did not know. He felt… drawn to something the moment he first stood. Like something, no, some _one_ was calling out for help, calling out for him. They were scared, terrified, and helpless against whatever it was causing their intense fear. It was so strong that it hurt his heart, his soul and whole self.**

"Empathy is a double edged sword. But in situations like this... it is a valuable gift." Apollo said in a grim tone, "I just hope he can get to the person in time."

 **He needed to get to them quickly.**

 **He decided to try out an idea he had a few days ago. With the use of his other ability, he thought that it would be possible to run faster than he usually was capable of.**

 **Much faster.**

 **Pulling in that beautifully bright and unbelievably powerful essence that was all around him, always roaming the world – or was it the world itself? – he flooded his body with it to the spilling point.**

"That's not something that a mortal should be able to do!" Athena denied, her rational mind telling her that it was impossible. She could see with her own eyes the golden energy enter Naruto, his own body glowing like a beacon.

"And yet, we are seeing it happen before our very eyes," Truth pointed out, a grin on his face.

 **He was now brimming with the unnamed and unknown energy, and he began directing it to his legs. Just like he had thought, his speed doubled. Not enough! He wasn't fast enough, not yet. He forced even more of the energy into his legs, his speed tripling. More! He repeated the process again. His speed quadrupled. Not yet. His speed quintupled.**

"So this energy is somehow increasing his own natural abilities?" Apollo mused to himself. He sneaked a peek at Hermes, the fastest god in all of Olympus, "How fast do you think he's going?"

Hermes closed his eyes in thought, the calculations running through his mind, "Honestly, I'm not certain. Kids that young don't normally start running that fast until they're like eleven."

"It's a good thing I know, then," Truth announced, "And you are right Hermes. A child shouldn't be running that fast at such a young age." He looked at Apollo, "But to answer your question, he is currently running at three thousand one hundred twenty-five miles per hour." He let that statement sink in.

Shock rang throughout the theater, "That's impossible! No mortal should be capable of running that fast."

Truth gazed at Artemis, "Do remember, please, that this is another world. The rules are far different there than they are here."

 **He was so fast everything seemed to be in slow motion. He was no longer visible to the human eye, or any eye for that matter.**

"That's what he thinks," Hermes grinned, a playful smirk on his face. He paused as a thought entered his head(and the author's), "Truth... if he ever comes here... I wanna race him."

Truth smirked, "I thought you might... which is why I have a plan for that very reason. It might take a while, but I should be able to do something."

Zeus paled, two-speed demons in the halls of Olympus? It would be one of his worst nightmares fulfilled.

 **He suddenly came to a complete halt, like he wasn't traveling fast enough to clear the whole village in seconds. He was directly in the path of someone he had never met, or felt, in his village before now. He was in a different uniform than the shinobi of his village, and his forehead protector was not of the Leaf as well.**

Athena paused... the word shinobi was strangely familiar. Closing her eyes, she rummaged through her mind palace, looking for anything pertaining to the word shinobi.

She opened her eyes after a few seconds, having found the information she needed, "A shinobi is an assassin, or ninja, who works from the shadows. They are masters of espionage, rivaled only by the samurai."

Truth nodded, "That's the basic gist of things, although, in that world, they do more than just kill. If the bidder pays enough, they will clean your garden for you."

Aphrodite stifled a laugh as she imagined men in black clothing pulling weeds out of the ground.

 **With the foreign energy flowing through his body, Naruto could see perfectly in the dark. The man had white bandages wrapped around the top part of his head, his hitai-ate slanted on his face, completely covering his right eye from the world with a black piece of string holding it all together. He had brown hair, if his brown facial hair was anything to go by. And he was tall, a lot taller than the blond.**

"Ugh... that guy totally reeks of suspicion," Hermes stated as he watched the image, his eyes sharp.

 **Naruto immediately recognized the small form that was held in the man's left arm as the person he felt. He could still feel their fear even now. He wanted to change that – immediately.**

 **The man looked down on the small boy in front of him and snarled, "Out of my way runt!" The Head Ninja of Kumo barked.**

 **Naruto was silent for a moment, too _angry_ to even move his body. He had felt the unknown man when he arrived and he now knew his intentions. He was taking what was not his to take. He was condemning an innocent and – what he now knew – gentlest girl he'd ever felt to a life of servitude and abuse.**

Artemis felt the fury within her grow as she watched the image, " _What!?_ I'll kill that bastard!" She didn't need to be a genius, not that she wasn't, to know what the man wanted.

Hera too felt angry, but she kept her fury contained, "Monsters... all of them are monsters. A young girl, taken to be breeding stock. What do they hope to gain from this?"

Truth rolled his eyes, "If you can stay quiet for a few seconds, you'll find out."

Artemis and Hera rolled their eyes but stayed quiet.

 **He knew the man thought of her as nothing more than a pawn, a means of reproducing powerful and, if her eyes were anything to go by, special shinobi.**

Zeus rubbed his beard in thought, "So her eyes have some special ability or something like that?" It would explain why the man kidnapped the girl.

"Just wait and see please!" Truth was now getting annoyed by all the interruptions.

 **Naruto truly despised this man; he was the scum of this earth.**

"You and me," Artemis muttered to herself, too low for anyone to hear except Truth.

 **Something inside Naruto clicked. He knew what he had to do. He could now feel and understand himself.**

 **He knew what he was now.**

 **The dark-skinned shinobi vaulted over the child in front of him, knowing that time was against him. He had no time to deal with someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.**

 **He kept running, making decent distance, until he was stopped once more. Again, the blond-haired boy suddenly flashed in front of him, almost too fast for him to react to. In the back of his mind, he was worried just how strange it was for someone so young to be so fast.**

 **He snarled, and went to grab a kunai from his pouch to dispense with the nuisance. That's when he felt it…**

 **Naruto's hand raised into the air, ignoring the man's attempt to bring out a weapon, and began to do the impossible. The world – which was the only way he could describe it – began to twist and turn, producing the same energy that was currently occupying his body. However, now it was different, more refined, sharper, and tangible. From the very air itself, bright golden – the same color as his eyes – particles began to appear, floating in the sky above him.**

Apollo shook his head in absolute disbeleaf, "That should be impossible. What he's doing, the manipulation of the Earth's natural energy, should not be feasable... and yet we are seeing it happen before our very eyes." For the first time, in a very long time, Apollo did not know what to say.

Demeter frowned, her golden eyes staring at the paused image, "Even I can't do something like that, and I doubt Gaea can as well."

Truth smiled, "This is why I am showing you this world. I'm proving a point, by doing this. It's up too you guys to figure out what it is."

 **With the flick of his wrist, the particles stirred, slowly rotating, _grinding_ itself in a circular motion, enthusiastically obeying its master's whims. The grizzled man's eyes widened, he didn't exactly know what was happening, but he was able to understand that it wasn't all that good for his health.**

 **It was supposed to be dark out, being well past sundown, but with the golden matter that was flying around, the sky was ablaze in a molten gold fury. It briefly passed through the Head Ninja's mind that, for a moment, it had looked like the heavens themselves opened up to bring forth their wrath on him.**

"It does look like that, doesn't it?" Hermes tilted his head in thought, "It honestly remind me of the old days when we would use our power to inspire fear in the mortals below us."

Ares sighed in bliss, those were the good ole days, "Yeah," He looked at Zeus, a frown on his face, "if it wasn't for him, we could still be doing that! But no, we have to hide from the mortals!"

Zeus rolled his eyes, a small sigh escaping his lips as he gazed into the ruby eyes of his war-mongering son, "Ares... do me a favor and shut up."

 **It was the most terrifyingly beautiful thing the seasoned jonin had ever seen.**

 **Naruto's hand shot open, spreading his fingers in the air. That's when the particles took form, mimicking his right arm, the spread fingers and all, just in a much larger proportion. It looked like it was the right hand of god more than a small child's anger.**

 **Naruto gave one more soul piercing glare at the man, their eyes meeting for mere seconds. In those chaste moments, the Head Ninja had thought the boy could actually see his soul for what it was; tainted.**

 **He had never felt sheer terror like this before.**

"Good!" Artemis nodded her head, a vicious grin on her face.

Apollo scooted away from his sister, there was no way he was sitting next to her when she was like that.

 **So why was it so serene?**

 **For a moment, the Kumo-nin wondered why he wasn't moving, why he wasn't cutting this strange child's throat and vanishing into the night. And then he knew, with a strange, detached realization that he couldn't.**

 **Whatever the thing in the sky was, it demanded all his attention. Not even the fear of being caught by the Konoha shinobi could spur him.**

 **The Uzumaki could feel the familiar presence of who he guessed was the girl's father. Familiar as in he had felt the man before; he had by now memorized all of Konoha's citizens. He nodded at the man, and the older Hyuuga wasted no time to leap forward and scoop his daughter in his arms. Once he leapt back out of the way, Naruto had no reason to wait anymore.**

"Good! End his existence like the ant he is," Artemis grinned, her teeth glinting in the light.

Apollo looked to Hermes, the fear evident on his face, "Help me..."

Hermes shrugged his shoulders, not willing to incur Artemis's wrath, "Sorry bro... your own your own."

"I'm screwed," Apollo whispered.

 **In the back of his head he knew he was being watched, he could recognize Hokage-jiji's presence anywhere, and he was always with members of the zoo, so they too he was very familiar with. Especially the lazy feeling one, he was the blond's favorite.**

 **That didn't matter now though. All that mattered at this very moment was to rid the world of this disgusting man.**

 **Like an enraged god bringing down his divine judgment, Naruto clenched his hand in a fist while slamming it down into the ground at his feet, cracking a large portion of it.**

 **He unleashed all his anger with a monstrous shout, something that sounded more animal than human.**

 **"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!"**

 **In a blink of an eye, the gold hand-like structure fell to the earth right above the would-be kidnapper from Kumo with earth shattering might.**

 **All the shinobi present actually had a hard time withstanding the blast, using a large amount of chakra just to stay in place and upright. The power behind the attack had to be equivalent to twenty or thirty explosive tags going off at once.**

 **It was a terrifying sight.**

"It is done," Hestia said, she never liked seeing a life being snuffed out, "The boy is something else, and I feel pity for anyone who gets on his bad side."

Zeus nodded, upset that the man did not pay for his crimes like he should have, "Indeed. Those villagers are lucky that Naruto loves them so much."

 **When the incredible golden light finally faded away, all that was left was a deep scar in the earth. A very deep scar.**

Apollo rested his hands behind his head, "One that will serve as a reminder for a very long time to come."

His twin sister nodded, "And hopefully they will be smart enough to not try what they did again."

 **Naruto stood from his prone form, letting his fist unclench as he did so. No one said a word, no one moved a muscle, and everyone tried to hold their breath.**

 **Silence reigned supreme in the now very large street as everyone just stared at the boy in disbelief. Not only did the "Demon Child" completely and utterly overpower and decimate the Head Ninja of Kumogakure no Sato, but he did it with ease, without the help of his charge, and for the sake of another Konoha citizen.**

 **It was incredible, it was amazing, and it was unbelievable.**

"Hopefully they feel regret about how they treated him," Hestia smiled light, her war aura warming the room.

Truth scoffed, "Don't count on it. Humans have a tendacy to forget such amazing events."

 **Everyone tensed as the village pariah moved forward, towards the Hyuuga Clan Head and Heiress. When he was standing right next to the man, Naruto gave him a gentle and warm smile, already able to feel the man's gratitude and unafraid feelings. That made Naruto happy, someone appreciated him.**

 **"Is she okay, Mister?" Naruto asked softly, his gentle smile never leaving his face. Hyuuga Hiashi gave a smile himself, something not many were privileged to see – ever – and nodded.**

 **"It would seem so. I have you to thank for that, Naruto-san." The Hyuuga man replied, still holding his first born. "I am forever in your debt."**

 **Naruto shook his head. "I'm just glad she's okay."**

 **Hiashi nodded. "As am I."**

 **Sarutobi Hiruzen landed next to Naruto and gave the boy a questioning look. "We need to talk, Naruto-kun." Were the only words that left the aged Hokage's mouth before he Shunshined (Body Flickered) away, taking the blond with him.**

"Wait," Annabeth started, "Humans in that world have abilities like Naruto as well?" If so, then that meant that the humans, in that world, were far more different than they had originally thought.

"Kind of," Truth did a wishy-washy motion, "They have their abilities, but Naruto's is unique even compared to those. Don't worry about that, though." He gestured back to the screen, "Just enjoy it while you can."

 **As Naruto sat in the chair across the Hokage in the man's office, he felt no fear. He already knew what the man was going to ask.**

 **And he was going to answer with a smile** , **because he knew he had done the right thing. He had saved an** **innocent, and was proud of it.**

 **That made him a hero.**

"It does," Annabeth nodded with a smile on her face.

 **He had taken another's life, and enjoyed it.**

 **That made him a monster.**

The smile on the demigoddess's face fell, "Oh... that's not good."

 **Whatever others saw him as didn't matter now though. He had found a way to feel. He felt alive. He felt free.**

 **He was finally awake.**

"...That sounds ominous enough." Apollo stated sarcastically, his face set into a lazy scowl, "All you need now is some ominous music and we'll be set."

Hermes scoffed, "Don't be daft! You'll need more than music to make this scary."

As the two started arguing, Hera rubbed her forehead in frustration, "They're morons, all of them." A smile made its way on her face when she saw Artemis slap Apollo on the back of his head.

Apollo rubbed his head, "Lil sis... why did you do that?" Tears prickled at the corner of his eyes as he looked at Artemis.

"Really?" Artemis asked with a raised eyebrow, "Are you really asking me that question?" Seeing him nod, she sighed, "Your an idiot Apollo, you know that?" Her only response was Apollo latching onto her, his arms wrapped around her shoulders.

Truth smiled at the irritated look on Artemis's face, "Well... that's one way to show brotherly affection."

The goddess of hunting glared at him, daggers in her eyes, "When he releases me, I'm going to kill you, you hear me Truth?" She dragged her thumb across her own throat to emphasize the threat.

Instead of being afraid, Truth merely waved off her threat, "You're adorable you know that?" Looking back at the TV, he smiled, "You guys go on ahead and do what you want, I got to get the next part set up."

Artemis sighed as she tried to push Apollo of her, "Get off me you big lug!"

As this was going on, Annabeth was staring at Truth, her eyes taking in his form. She just knew that this was going to be painful. Closing her eyes, she made a silent dedication to get Percy back.

* * *

 **Well then... I've finally completed chapter one of Hero or Monster. I hope you guys have enjoyed the story as I know I've enjoyed writting it. I want to thank hyvnn for giving me permission to write the story. For those who don't know, he formerlly went by Dreaming of The Moon and Mr AnimeKidd.  
**

 **I'm proud of myself for this one, it took me a while, but I got it done.**

 **I'm certain that most of you can figure out who Truth is. But his personality, well that will be a bit harder. But try. I want to hear your best guesses.**

 **Now for the important part: I need reviews, follows and favorites. I'll understand if you guys are anxious about doing it on the first chapter, but by the next one I expect to see a lot more.**

 **Stats: The story itself is more than 10,500 words.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 is here people.**

 **You can thank me by reading the chapter.**

 **Hope you guys enjoy it.**

* * *

"So..." Truth started as he looked at the group in front of him, "Who's ready to read the next chapter?" He tilted his head to the side to avoid the silver sandal thrown at him, "Besides Artemis that is."

"Screw you!" Artemis pouted as she crossed her arms, why did everyone have to be so mean to her? She glared at the snickering Apollo, it wasn't funny!

Truth laughed at that, "If you say so, but I'd like to get my own body before doing such a thing. Still, thanks for the offer." He ducked under the other silver sandal thrown at his face, "Sheesh... learn to take a joke, little cub."

The moon goddess glared at him, ignoring the snickering from the other deities of Olympus, "Shut up!"

"Ok, I'm done now," Truth raised his hands in surrender, "Still, my first question stands, who here is ready to read the next chapter of Naruto's life?" He grinned as he saw almost everyone raise their hands, even the adorable, angry Artemis.

There were only two that had not raised their hands and that was Ares and Aphrodite. Truth shook his head in exasperation before snapping his finger twice, a giant wall separating the two from each other, "Now that I've got your attention, are you two ready for the next chapter?"

"WHAT THE HELL MAN!?" Ares glared hatefully at Truth, "Couldn't you see I was busy?"

Truth rolled his eyes, "You mean trying to get into Aphrodite's panties? Then yeah, I could see that you were quite busy." He glanced to said goddesses and noticed how her dress left little to the imagination. He shook his head in irritation, "Look... you can do what you do best later, but for now... I want your attention on this story and nothing else."

The god of war grumbled to himself in irritation, before grudgingly nodding his head in agreement, "Fine."

"Great," Truth clapped his hand together with a mocking smile, before glancing to the love goddess, "And I assume you're ready as well, Aphrodite?" Seeing her nod, he grinned, "Guess we can get started now then."

With a snap of his fingers, the screen started streaming the next chapter of Hero or Monster.

 ** _A deity is supposedly something divine, and as such should be judged by their ability to create and heal. Yet, we mortals judge the potency of a God's strength by their power to destroy and end.  
_**

 ** _It's silly, really, if you think about it. The more a god is monster-like, the more people pay attention to it._**

"Truth!" Apollo admitted as he raised his index finger into the air. He glared at the smirking Ares, "It's your fault that I'm not as popular as I used to be."

Ares rolled his eyes, "It's not my fault that you're more interested in helping people, god of plagues," Seriously, if Apollo only used that domain more often, then he would be just as respected and feared.

"I enjoy helping people, unlike you who enjoys sending them to our dear uncle," Apollo responded with a frown. He glanced to said uncle and bowed his head in apology, "No offense meant."

Hades snorted, "If you truly meant that, then you'd stop using my name as a curse."

 ** _Such absurdity is favorable to a person like me though.  
_**

 ** _I don't yet have the power to heal, or create, but something I do have is the power to destroy._**

 ** _The power to end anything as I see fit…_**

Ares grinned, "He'd make a good deity. Might even replace me if he were here with us." He started bouncing with excitement as he thought about all the things that Naruto could do as a war god, "All the blood... wars, destruction. It would be glorious," His grin widened to huge proportions, "He'd be like a mini-me."

Hestia frowned at her nephew, "You sicken me, Ares."

Ares rolled his eyes, he didn't really care about what his peace loving aunt thought or wanted, "Go blow yourself, Granny."

 ** _The only difference between me and a deity is simple:_**

 ** _I know what I am._**

 ** _I am a monster._**

"Doubt it," Artemis mumbled to herself, "He's not shown himself to be anything more than kind and serious when needed." She paused when she felt something rest on her shoulder. A quick glance revealed it to be Truth resting his head on it, "What are you doing?" She was a hair's breath away from punching him, consequences be damned.

"Resting," He grinned at her, his white teeth glinting as he buried his head in the crook of her neck, "You smell nice by the way," He sniffed her hair, a dopey smile coming onto his face, "Kind of like a flower after a rain shower."

He paused as the goddesses' fist made contact with his face. The amount of force behind the punch obliterated half of his face, which didn't surprise him that much. He could already feel his massive aura healing the damage that he just took.

To the rest of the group, though, it was a gruesome sight. They watched as his head rebuilt itself, tendons being reattached to each other. The next thing to reappear were the bones, but with obvious improvements. Although the deities could not see it, the new bones were laced with titanium so as to reinforce them.

As this was going on, Annabeth couldn't help but cry as she watched her boyfriend's head rebuild itself. Not only was it a gruesome sight, but it was also emotionally crushing for the female demi-god,

" _Sleep,_ " Athena muttered, her words laced with divine power as she wrapped her arms around her daughter's shoulders, "All will be alright." Seeing her daughter close her eyes, she frowned. Why couldn't anything be easy?

"Holy shit!" Truth mumbled, his hands soothing his reformed mouth, "You punch hard, you know that?" He shook his head in amusement, "Still... that won't be anywhere near close enough to kill this body. I've given it the power of adaptability, so try and be a bit more creative when you try to do me in." A dagger formed in his right hand, "Or else you won't even make it past this chapter. Remember... I'm here to teach you... that includes punishing disobedient children."

Zeus's eyebrow twitched in irritation, "We aren't children."

' _Could have fooled me,_ ' Truth thought to himself. He pointed to the tv 'screen', "If you say so, still, the chapter is about to start again, so let's keep the commentary down to a minimum."

 **So the zoo was nothing like what Naruto thought it would be.**

 **Most of the people were of the silent type, which was something he was okay with, having people ignore him for most of his life – which, in hindsight, was only six years so he didn't really have all that much experience.**

Hestia frowned, "He should never have to be okay with such a thing. He should be loved, adored... cared for... not hated or ostracized." Her soft hands were resting on her chest, right above her heart, as she tried to calm down the building anger she felt.

"Heh... don't worry about it, Aunty. That's just how humans are. They fear what they don't understand." Apollo smiled, his sky blue eyes shining with unbridled energy.

 **After the** **little chat he and the Hokage had after he terminated the Kumo shinobi, the old Sarutobi had decided that it would be best if Naruto put his abilities to good use. That came in the form of joining the zoo, or what he now knew to be the ANBU Black Ops. They were the Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai: the Special Assassination and Tactical Squad.**

Ares jaw dropped in excitement, "Six-year-old assassins?" A scream of joy escaped his mouth, "Can this story not get any better?" He looked to Truth with a pleading look, "Can I please, with a cherry on top, go there?"

Truth tilted his head in thought, "If you pass the test, and I think you've learned your lesson... I'll think about it." A small part of him, the souls within him that thrived on war and bloodshed, was excited about the prospect of dropping the war god in such a world.

"Can't believe they would actually allow someone to become an assassin at such a young age... the mental scarring alone could do untold amounts of damage," Athena muttered to herself softly. She made a point of ignoring Ares, that was a can of worms that she did not want to open.

 **That night was the best thing that ever happened to the blond. Until the last word spoken by his now senpai…**

Hermes shook his head in sadness, "Everything comes with a price, kid. You can't get the good without the bad, it's just how the world works."

 ** _Flashback_**

 ** _Naruto could feel what the Hokage was feeling; anxiety._**

 ** _He had seen a boy of only six years annihilate with extreme prejudice the Head Ninja of Kumo. The man was the ambassador of peace for the Cloud, and he was a strong jonin in his own right. The fact that Naruto had done away with him with what looked like ease made him very uneasy._**

Apollo released a low whistle, "I feel sorry for the Hokage. Not only does he have a WMD sitting in front of him, but he now has to deal with the political repercussions from killing an ambassador from another country."

"But he wasn't the one to do the deed... besides, I'm certain if he explained the situation, then they could work something out." Hestia titled her head in confusion.

The sun god merely shook his head in amusement, "You're too kind, you know that?" He looked at his hands and clenched them, "The death happened on his 'turf', so to speak. And since a leader is responsible for his people's actions... well, I'm certain you get the idea."

Athena nodded her head, "I conclude with Apollo. Also, since the shinobi was the head ninja, it stands to reason that his government approved his attempted kidnapping of the young girl."

"Heh," Truth chuckled at seeing the frown on Hestia's face, "That's the truth of the matter, Hestia."

Zeus, who had been silent for most of the conversation, couldn't help but feel sorry for the Hokage. It reminded him of the situation with his own children, he glanced to Apollo and scowled. He still hadn't forgiven him for inventing solar eclipses. Mostly, for the reason, that Hades' powers were magnified tenfold for those short moments.

For some reason, Hades couldn't help the smirk that formed on his face.

 **" _Jiji, I can feel what you're thinking, just ask. I'll tell you the truth, honest." Naruto finally broke the awkward silence in the Hokage's Office. The poor man was pacing the very moment they appeared in the small room._**

 **" _I- how can you feel what I'm thinking?" Hiruzen asked, baffled that the boy was claiming to have the ability to read minds. Were his thoughts not safe now?_**

Aphrodite smiled wildly, "That would make for some kinky roleplay." She rested her flawless check on her manicured hand, "He could be the villain that reads your mind, playing on your insecurities, while some girl, or guy, is the 'victim'."

Artemis, who had been busy glaring at Truth, couldn't help but deadpan at the air headed goddess, "Are you serious right now?" She shook her head in exasperation, "You know what, don't answer the question. I already know the answer."

 ** _When the Uzumaki laughed, the Lord Third felt like he was the child. "I can't exactly hear your thoughts, Jiji, that's impossible." Naruto admitted. "It's kind of hard to explain. Hmm…" the blond trailed off, rubbing his chin with his right hand. "It's like I'm connected to… well, everything. That's the only way I can describe it."_**

"Hmm..." Apollo hummed to himself, "Interesting... that sounds a bit like your explanation." Forming a pencil in his right hand, he made a note on the paper in his lap.

Truth simply shrugged, "Sort of. Where as he is connected to everything... I, on the other hand, _am_ everything. There's a basic difference, one that makes it impossible for him to even come close to my level of power."

 ** _At his grandfather figure's confused expression, Naruto explained a little better. "When people are upset, I can tell." Naruto elaborated. "And not just tell, but tell why." He continued, trying his best to describe what he could do._**

 **" _And how long have you been able to do such a thing? And why did you say everything instead of just people?" The Sarutobi asked, wanting more._**

 **" _For how long, it's been since I could remember," he said, still rubbing his chin. "For why I said what I did, that's because it's not just with people. Animals and plants, really anything – as long as it's living. I guess I could say I'm connected with life." Here, Sarutobi noticed Naruto's eyes widen._**

"For those of you who are confused," He looked at Ares, a wicked smirk coming on to his face, "It means that Naruto's soul has opened up to the greater Monad. He's become part of a greater system... one that encompasses all things, not just living." He paused as he glanced to his hand, "In a sense... he's become a part of me. I am him... and he is me." A golden glow surrounded his hand, before dissipating into the tense air.

Apollo hummed to himself, "Pythagoras... he knew of you, isn't that right?"

"I did," Truth nodded his head, his red eyes briefly turning black, before turning back to their crimson color, "Sorry... meant to say, he did."

While Apollo found that strange, he chose not to push the matter.

 **" _What, what is it Naruto-kun?" His voice was riddled with fear._**

 ** _Naruto gave him a sheepish look. "Ah, it's nothing Jiji, I've just never thought about it that way is all. Maybe that's the best way to describe it." His closed hand met his opened palm. "Yeah, I'm connected with life!"_**

 ** _The Lord Third sighed. The boy was going to give him a heart attack. "So how can you tell what others are feeling?"_**

 **" _Hmm, I'm not really sure," Naruto admitted, "but I can do it!" He finished with a wide smile._**

Hestia released a soft laugh, "The fact that he can smile, despite everything he has faced, is quite impressive."

 ** _The Hokage nodded, trying to process what he was hearing. "And the golden matter you used on the Kumo-nin?" That was what Hiruzen wanted to know the most about. If he had to guess, that was an A-rank technique. Most grown adults didn't have the ability to even use such high ranked techniques, never mind create new ones. The last time an A-rank technique was developed it made its creator a legend._**

 ** _The Copy-nin was a man known far and wide._**

 _ **Yet, here he was, only six and already so far ahead of all those before him. It was unnerving to think that such raw talent and power was in the hands of such a young child.** _

"It's not unnerving... it's fucking epic!" Ares roared with excitement, his fist raised into the air. He bounced in his seat as a certain sword started acting up.

Hera sighed, "Ares... you're a bigger disappointment than Hephaestus," She took a sip of the wine in her hand as she ignored the hurt look from her war mongering son.

 **" _Oh, that," Naruto's smile grew, if that was even possible. "I made it up!" Hiruzen couldn't help but smile at Naruto's enthusiasm._**

 **" _What exactly was it?" He needed to be the Hokage right now, not the boy's surrogate grandfather._**

 ** _Naruto chuckled awkwardly. "I, ah, don't really know that either." Sarutobi sighed. Did the boy know anything about his own abilities? The way he could use them said he did, but that, surprisingly, was not the truth._**

 **" _Can you tell me anything about it? Anything at all?" He asked, wanting - needing! - to know what the boy knew._**

 ** _Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I can describe how I do it." When Hiruzen nodded the boy continued. "There's this kind of feeling in the air, like a constant energy that's always around me. I don't know why others can't feel it and I can, but I do know that it's there."_**

"The way he describes... it makes it sound a bit like 'The Force'," Hermes noted, drawing surprised looks from his family, "Especially with how he describes it as an energy, 'that's always around me'."

Truth raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Well... that's one way of describing it." He'd heard it described like that before, mostly from some fanatics called the Jedi.

 _ **'** **He can't mean natural energy.' The Hokage thought to himself. 'There's no way someone could be born able to feel it… right?'** _

Apollo smiled, "So they have a name for it...interesting" He tapped his knee in thought as he watched the scene play out, "And if I'm hearing correctly, which I am, people can learn to feel its presence." He glanced to Hermes with an idle smirk, "There may just be hope for you, H."

Hermes winked back at the sun god, "It's me Apollo. There's always hope."

 ** _When his Jiji didn't reply he continued. "When I need it I can pull the energy into myself. When I do, a lot of stuff happens." He held up one finger. "My body becomes tougher." Two fingers, "I get a whole lot stronger! Like yesterday, I lifted an entire tree out of the ground." Three fingers, "I get faster! I think I can outrun anyone in this whole village!"_**

"Looks like we have a new contender for the title of Superboy," Hades smirked at the irked look on Zeus's face. He was going to enjoy this a lot.

 ** _Sarutobi highly doubted that, there were a lot of fast ninja in Konoha, but he didn't voice his thoughts._**

 ** _Four fingers. "I can feel others more, and farther away, too!" Hiruzen's eyebrows climbed up into his hairline. This kept sounding more and more like natural energy by the minute. Five fingers. "And I can control and shape the energy around me; that's the gold dust stuff you saw forming the arm."_**

Zeus's jaw clenched in irritation...none of his sons could ever do what Naruto had just described... and that upset him.

 ** _Now that did not sound like something any Sage the Hokage ever heard of being able to do._**

 **" _Naruto-kun, I believe you were born with the amazing ability to use natural energy, something only a Sage is capable of doing." Hiruzen informed with a smile on his face. "There is only one other person in this world that can use the sage arts, and that's my pupil, Jiraiya."_**

 ** _Naruto shot up out of his seat. "You mean I can use the same power as one of your students?" He half asked half yelled, excitement evident in his voice._**

"A beautiful smile," Aphrodite commented as she watched the Apollo look-alike, "If I didn't know any better, I would have thought he was a child of yours Apollo."

The sun god smile back at her, his golden hair brightening the room a bit, "Thanks."

 ** _Hiruzen nodded. "It would seem so. But whereas he had to be taught the sage arts, you were born able to use them." Another smile ghosted the elderly man's lips. "It's truly remarkable."_**

 ** _Naruto nodded, a thousand watt smile plastered to his face. "So what now, Jiji?" He asked, eager to learn more._**

 ** _Hiruzen thought on it for a moment. What was he going to do with the boy? He definitely needed to contact Jiraiya and have him come home. He needed to know of this mind blowing discovery._**

 ** _He also wanted to train the boy, he knew he would become someone more powerful than even his father; having a hand in teaching such a person would be a gift in and of itself. Throwing him into the academy would be a shame; his talents would be wasted in that environment. What could he do?_**

Ares was now jumping in his seat, "Make him join the ANBU!"

 ** _An idea began to form. With a snap of his fingers, a man dressed in black clothing, grey armor, and a white face mask – a member of the zoo – appeared from within the shadows. It wasn't a surprise to Naruto, having felt the man's presence the moment he arrived shortly after them. He knew the man as the 'Lazy One,' his favorite zoo member. The shock of gravity defying silver hair just confirmed this._**

 **" _Inu, do you think you have room in your cell for one more." It was worded as a question, but it wasn't intended as one. When the God of Shinobi spoke, you listened, no matter what you were asked of. "Discreetly of course, no one besides you will know his true identity, and only your team will know that he's even in ANBU." He added, never taking his eyes off of the Uzumaki._**

"He's got a great body, that's for certain," Aphrodite stated with a dreamy sigh. She looked to Artemis, "What do you think Arty? He your type?" She glanced back to the pic, "I mean he has your favorite color as hair."

Artemis growled under her breath, "First of all, don't call me that! Second... I don't like men or women romantically! We don't even know what this Inu person looks like or how he acts."

"So?" Aphrodite asked, honestly confused by Artemis statements, "I don't see how that should stop you. It doesn't stop me."

Hera, who had been listening in, couldn't help but snort, "Why doesn't that surprise me?

 ** _Naruto could feel the man's reluctance, and was intrigued that it didn't come in his dislike of either his age nor his 'burden', but something else, something personal._**

 ** _Why did the Lazy One care for him?_**

 ** _After the split second hesitation, the dog-styled masked-nin saluted his Hokage, giving the aged warrior an affirmative, "yes, sir," before turning his gaze to the blond._**

 **" _It won't be easy…" Inu began in a hard and firm voice. He then gave off the feeling of warmth and protectiveness, "…kohai."_**

"That's actually kind of sweet," Hermes smiled at the scene, before glancing to Apollo "... Why couldn't you be like that, bro?"

The sun god rolled his eyes, "Well, that might have to do with the fact that you stole from me." He shook his head, "I mean those were some of my favorite cows ever."

Hermes frowned, "And I gave you my lyre in repentence."

 ** _Naruto gave a warm smile and nodded as fast as he could. "I'll do my best, Inu-senpai!" And with that said, Naruto could already feel the great things he was going to do with Inu._**

 **" _It will be tough Naruto-kun, but I believe you can do it. I think you will be able to protect Konoha better than anyone else." The Hokage said warmly, his smile showing his pride for his successor's child._**

 ** _This was it._**

 **" _Welcome to the ANBU Black Ops…"_**

 ** _He would finally be able to do what he wanted the most; protect Konoha._**

 **"… _Nezumi-kohai."_**

 ** _Wait. What?!_**

 ** _End Flashback_**

"Rat... that's actually kind of funny. Cause he's so small," Hermes snickered to himself, his eyes glistening with a few tears.

 **Apparently, ANBU operatives were given their codename by their captain, and Inu just happened to be Nar- Nezumi's captain. Well, he was going to be Nezumi's captain once he received all of the required training. Couldn't have someone out in the field that didn't know what they were doing.**

 **When he asked why he was dubbed Nezumi, Kakashi replied with, "because you're tiny…" a tick mark appeared on the blond's forehead, "…like a mouse…" he added, and was met with silence, "…small."**

 **Nezumi sighed.**

 **That was okay with Nar- Nezumi, he was only three; he had time.**

Hestia shook her head in sadness, "Only three... and he's taken someone's life." She could feel the golden tears ready to flow from her eyes, but she refused to let them flow... it was only a story after all.

 **All he had to do now was survive Inu's "Hell School", whatever that meant. It shouldn't be too hard.**

 **He was happy, and nothing could change that.**

"That's what he thinks," Ares cackled to himself, ignoring the strange looks he was given.

 **Nezumi was miserable.**

 **If there was such a place as Hell, Nezumi thought that it sounded like a nice place to vacation to. Hell School was painful and exhausting, physically, emotionally and spiritually. What the hell was wrong with his captain? Was he a sadist?**

 **That would actually explain a lot.**

 **Nezumi was currently sprawled out on his rock hard bed, having moved into the ANBU Headquarters the day after he talked to the Hokage and Inu-senpai about joining the zoo, which just happened to coincide with his seventh birthday. It was required of all agents to live within the Black Ops building. At first, Nezumi wasn't all that thrilled about the idea, but now, after six months of the place, he didn't even notice anymore.**

 **He chalked it up as just another thing he had to do for his village.**

"Heh," Ares wiped the snot from his nose, "I totally knew it. Nobody can ever be happy with Hell School."

 **Today had been a particularly painful day. His ability to manipulate natural energy was incredibly advanced, and the only person that could help him further his prowess with that was still not available. The Toad Sage was the kind of person who was very hard to find if he didn't want to be found.**

 **Apparently, he didn't want to be found at the moment.**

 ** _Month one and two_**

 **His training consisted of the usual required ANBU material, which included a whole lot of studying. ANBU had to have a certain level of knowledge in both foreign and domestic affairs. Nezumi found that he wasn't the biggest fan of books. But he did as he was told nonetheless, accomplishing everything Inu threw his way.**

 **The second month he had been personally trained by the Hokage in the ways of running a village. There was a lot of politics and other boring stuff involved, but Nezumi soaked it all up; he planned on becoming the greatest Hokage the likes of which Konoha has never seen.**

 **He really wanted to feel free and awake again. The only way he could do that was if he was protecting his village, his people.**

Athena smiled, "An admireable goal. Every young man and woman should try to be better than their predecesor." She glanced to the grinning Ares and scowled, "Though I don't think Ares really cares about that."

Ares nodded, "Yeah. It's just boobies and blood for me."

 ** _Month three_**

 **Another huge section of his training consisted of learning other shinobi skills. Inu had told him that he needed to be more versatile. A one trick pony – whatever the hell that meant – was something he didn't want to be. Inu, who was now more of his sensei than anything, first taught him how to climb trees. Without his hands! That was something he actually enjoyed doing.**

 **And it only took ten minutes.**

 **Inu-senpai – after a long and detailed lesson on chakra and chakra control – explained to him that it seemed that he had abnormally amazing chakra control. Such a level of precision was something apparently only Tsunade – who happened to be _another_ Sannin he shared something with – could accomplish. Senju Tsunade was a- _the_ Medical-nin, and he was up to par with her when it came to control… he put that in the back of his head for later; versatility, versatility, versatility.**

 **After the tree walking exercise, Inu-senpai taught him to do the same thing, but on water. That, too, was incredibly fun.**

 **It also only took ten minutes.**

 **Deciding that he needed to throw more difficult things at the boy, he began teaching him the Shunshin (Body Flicker), which took a little longer for the boy to learn.**

 **This time it took fifteen minutes.**

Hermes pouted as he crossed his arms, "It's like he's the very embodiement of the word hax." He glanced to the wisdom goddess and Apollo, "...You certain you haven't had a child together?"

Athena blanched at the idea of having a child with Apollo of all people, "No... Hermes. We haven't had sex."

 **This was starting to intrigue Inu. The boy had said that he could understand everything so long as it was alive. That made Inu start to question; were Jutsu alive?**

 **Because if so, Nezumi was capable of understanding any and all techniques, as long as they were performed within his sensory area. That was impossible though, the only technique he heard of that could understand Jutsu like that was implanted in his left eye; the Sharingan.**

 **If it was true… just what were the boy's limits?**

 **Did he have any?**

"From what I've seen...I don't think he has any physical limits." Hades noted, "It's probably his mind that has them." He couldn't help but think about the alien super hero known as Superman.

Superman had only one physical weakness, while his mind and heart were chained down by the emotional connections he had made. To destroy them, would hurt him more than death.

Hades glanced to his his younger brother, Posedion. That was something that all two men, and boy, had in common.

"Just like Percy," Poseidon whispered, his voice hoarse from despair. His emerald green eyes were red from crying.

 **The thought began to make more and more sense. Nezumi was incredibly mature, far, far from anything a now seven year old should be. He was able to speak like an adult, see things from an adult's point of view, and understand the adult world. So, how did he do it?**

 **Inu had never been one to believe that age brought wisdom. He had known a lot of unwise, elderly people. He personally thought that experience brought wisdom, which was not the same thing.**

 **You could live your entire life ignorant if you were sheltered or reclusive. Obviously though, a seven year old, no matter how hard their life may be, did not have the required experience to be so wise in the ways of the world.**

 **Something else allowed him to be so mature. That something had to be his empathy ability. If he could truly understand others, then he had to have started understanding their feelings.**

 **Learning about love, hate, jealousy, greed, lust, joy, sorrow and everything in between must have been the strangest thing for someone so young.**

Apollo nodded, he could say from personal experience that it was quite strange, "Aye! Nothing stranger than learning that a dick is supposed to go into a vagina." He ignored the scowl from Artemis, she could keep her opinions to herself.

 **That was the only explanation Inu could come up with on how a mere child could comprehend the emotions that he was able to feel. It was impossible but that just made it even more special.**

 **The rest of the month he had used to come up with a name for the tangible natural energy he used.**

 ** _Month four_**

 **Nezumi was then taught shurikenjutsu. That took up a lot of his time. It was hard for him to throw the kunai at first because his hands were so small. After Inu taught him a trick that he used to do when he was young – apparently he was a young prodigy as well – that involved his chakra he caught on fast enough.**

 ** _Month five_**

 **The next thing Nezumi had to learn was stealth. He was a little nervous about it at first, but after a couple of weeks he got the hang of it. Then it was kenjutsu training. After the first** **day Inu thought he had finally found something the kid wasn't good at. He realized how wrong he was a week later. The cut on his back still stung from that.**

 ** _Month six_**

 **As of late, Nezumi learned a lot of ninjutsu, finding it to be his favorite. With his perfect chakra control learning genjutsu was too easy, and his taijutsu was still developing. With the natural energy flowing in his body he didn't even need to actually land his strikes on his target.**

 **Ninjutsu, however, interested Nezumi the most. With his Sage Dust Techniques – which he now called the gold natural energy he could manipulate – he was already ahead of most jonin when it came to power. But he couldn't solely rely on it, one trick pony and everything.**

"To be honest... there's nothing really wrong with just sticking to one skill," Apollo admitted as he scratched the back of his head, "He just needs to be aware of his limits."

Athena shook her head in disagreement, "And what happens when he meets someone who is immune to the sage dust techniques?"

"Good point, but your missing something important." Apollo retorted, "The enemy may be immune, but the environment most certainly isn't." He smiled as understanding dawned on Athena's face.

Athena tilted her head in respect, "A fair point."

 **So the Hokage and Inu began to teach him Elemental Ninjutsu. The blond's affinities were Wind and Fire, which also was special. He didn't have a Kekkei Genkai (Bloodline Limit), not really, so the fact that he already had two affinities, affinities that complemented each other, was amazing.**

 **That's why the Uzumaki was so exhausted at the moment. Inu-senpai knew a _lot_ of ninjutsu, as did the Lord Third, and they was making sure to drill as many into Nezumi as possible. His body was sore and limp, and he loved every moment of it. It reminded him that he was gaining the strength to do what was needed to be done. Things were going to change when he got out of these walls.**

 **Konoha's enemies would think twice before striking.**

 **Her people would know peace.**

 **Nezumi would be a hero.**

 **Even better, Nezumi would be a monster.**

Dioynsus smiled, a smirk playing on his lips as he sipped some of his wine, "To quote Sue Grafton, _**'Beware the dark pool at the bottom of our hearts. In its icy, black depths dwell strange and twisted creatures it is best not to disturb.'**_ "

"Nice one," Truth complemented the wine god, "But I can do better."

 _' **If you are a monster, stand up.**_  
 _ **If you are a monster, a trickster, a fiend,**_  
 _ **If you've built a steam-powered wishing machine**_  
 _ **If you have a secret, a dark past, a scheme,**_  
 _ **If you kidnap maidens or dabble in dreams**_  
 _ **Come stand by me.**_

 _ **If you have been broken, stand up.**_  
 _ **If you have been broken, abandoned, alone**_  
 _ **If you have been starving, a creature of bone**_  
 _ **If you live in a tower, a dungeon, a throne**_  
 _ **If you weep for wanting, to be held, to be known,**_  
 _ **Come stand by me.**_

 _ **If you are a savage, stand up.**_  
 _ **If you are a witch, a dark queen, a black knight,**_  
 _ **If you are a mummer, a pixie, a sprite,**_  
 _ **If you are a pirate, a tomcat, a wright,**_  
 _ **If you swear by the moon and you fight the hard fight,**_  
 _ **Come stand by me.**_

 _ **If you are a devil, stand up.**_  
 _ **If you are a villain, a madman, a beast,**_  
 _ **If you are a** **strowler, a prowler, a priest,**_  
 _ **If you are a dragon come sit at our feast,**_  
 _ **For we all have stripes, and we all have horns,**_  
 _ **We all have scales, tails, manes,** **claws and thorns**_  
 _ **And here in the dark is where new worlds are born.**_  
 _ **Come stand by me.** '_

Apollo was the first to clap, everyone else not too far behind, "Catherynne M. Valente?"

"Yup," Truth nodded with a pleased smile on his face, "That poem trully describes how I feel about everyone. At the end of the day, everyone eats at the same table."

 **It had been a whole year since he joined the zoo, and Nezumi had finally been cleared 'field ready.' He was nearing eight now, and he was a certified member of the ANBU.**

 **He was nervous now though. Today was the day he met the rest of Captain Inu'steam. He understood Inu's words when he said it would take the team a while to warm up to him. He was the youngest ANBU agent the Elemental Nations had ever seen. The others just needed to be positive that they could rely on him to watch their backs.**

 **They could.**

 **Inu had been extremely happy that he and the blond were the same, patriots to the core, but still cared about the lives of their fellow citizen above all else. When Kakashi told him that those who abandon the mission were considered trash, but those who abandon their friends were worse than trash, Nezumi loved the saying so much that he asked if he could live by it as well. Kakashi, of course, said yes, he didn't even have to ask.**

"I like it," The smile on Hestia's face was breathtaking, "I'm glad to see that some people still have morals."

 **The rate at which the blond was able to learn and process, well, anything, was amazing. Inu didn't know of anything the boy couldn't do.**

 **He thought Nezumi was strong at first, but after Jiraiya had finally shown up… Inu prayed he never defected. Having to fight _that_ would be bad for anyone's health.**

 **They'd die, plain and simple.**

 **He wasn't invincible though, and Inu was happy that the blond realized that. Anyone could fall when arrogant or outnumbered.**

" _Kronos,_ " Zeus whispered/coughed into his fist. He smiled when he saw his beautiful wife scowl in agreement.

 **Nezumi took a deep breath. "Here we go." He whispered, pushing through the double doors of Team Ro's designated lounging area. He was immediately met with stares.**

 **There was a small boy in a standard ANBU uniform and they didn't like where this was going.**

 **The Uzumaki agent took in his surroundings for a moment. The room was of medium size and Spartan. All there was were gray walls and three very large black couches. The couches were set up so that they were connected, and a long glass table was centered in the middle of them.**

 **"Ah, Nezumi-kohai, you made it," Inu called out over the palpable silence. "Come here, I'll introduce you to everyone."**

 **Nezumi gulped, but obeyed nonetheless. "Yes, sir."**

 **When the blond made it to his captain, Inu put a hand on his shoulder. "Everyone, I'd like you all to meet Nezumi. He's going to be assigned to Team Ro for a while."**

 **No one said anything, but they didn't have to. Nezumi could feel what they thought of him.**

 ** _Great, we're stuck with some brat._**

 ** _What is the Hokage thinking?_**

 ** _Hey… isn't that… no, it couldn't be…_**

 **That last one almost made Nezumi flinch, but he stayed composed. "I hope we can work well together." The blond bowed.**

Artemis tilted her head in thought, "Good on him." If she had been in his shoes, and not a deity, she would have been shaking in fear. Those people... they were not ones to be trifled with.

Even though it was just a story, she could tell that each and every one of them could stand with gods... she could feel her blood boil with excitement. It actually irked her that her body was responding in an Ares like manner.

 **Inu cleared his throat. "Right, well, let's report to Hokage-sama. I think it's about time for the newbie to take on his first mission."**

 **Nezumi gulped.**

 **Two months. It had been two months since he joined Team Ro and they still treated him like trash.**

 **He was officially the team's sensor and not a front-liner, which is what he wanted to be, and the missions they carried out had little use for his abilities. He did spot an enemy ambush two weeks ago, but apparently that wasn't something that warranted much respect.**

 **He had been training for so long and he still couldn't wake up. It was somewhat annoying.**

 **Nezumi was currently sprinting through the forests that occupied the border of Hi no Kuni and Tsuchi no Kuni with Tora and Usagi, two of the people who disliked him the most. Inu-taicho said that if he worked with them more that they would have to warm up to him sooner or later. Nezumi highly doubted that but followed orders all the same.**

 **The three of them were doing a simple border patrol, making sure everyone _stayed_ in their own countries. Simple enough, right?**

 **Nothing was ever simple.**

 **Nezumi signaled to the two, stopping their _fast_ paced travel. "What is it, kid?" Tora asked, annoyed that the blonde was holding them up.**

 ** _Two people are headed right for us._ He signed in ANBU code. _They aren't friendly either._ He took another second to analyze the incoming shinobi, trying to understand what it was he was feeling.**

 **His eyes widened. "Shit." He whispered, causing his comrades to take defensive stances. What they heard in his voice made them wary. What was going on?**

 **' _They must have felt me as well…'_ the blond thought to himself. _'If Tora and Usagi die because of me…'_**

 **"Get out of here you two," Nezumi whispered. His tone was serious.**

 **The only female of the group, Usagi, spoke up. "Look kid, no matter how special you think you are, you can't just order your senpai's around." She was giving off an annoyed emotion, Nezumi could tell. "You're still just a brat."**

"I wanna punch the bitch," Hermes glared at the female ANBU, "You don't just ignore the person who can tell you where the enemie is." That was how you lost good men and women.

Athena groaned, "While I wouldn't use the same words, my brother is right."

 **The blond sighed. Were these people ever going to show him respect? So far Inu was the only person to welcome him into the fold.**

 **"Usagi-senpai, there are two Jinchuuriki on their way from the direction of Tsuchi no Kuni." He informed them. "They have probably felt my Bijuu's presence and decided to investigate."**

 **He could feel their fear.**

 **"Don't worry; they're here for me, not you." He tried to calm them. "Go. If I don't return, then Konoha will know where they stand with Iwa."**

 **He felt their disbelieving minds. "You're going to sacrifice yourself for us?" Tora asked, astounded. It was no secret that both he and Usagi hated Nezumi, so why the hell was he doing this? "Why?"**

 **The two ANBU's hearts almost broke when he took his mask off and _smiled_ at them, of all things. "Because we're comrades. You'd do the same for me if it was the other way around."**

 **Nezumi sometimes wished he couldn't feel peoples hearts.**

 ** _No we wouldn't…_**

 **Nezumi steeled himself, ANBU didn't cry. "Now go," he repeated, "this is my fight." And with that, he turned around and took off in the direction of the fast approaching Iwa-nin. It was a warm and sunny day, the complete opposite of what it should have been. He was sacrificing himself for people who didn't even see him as a person. He just couldn't bring himself to care though. This was it.**

 ** _Time to wake up._**

Hestia wiped the tears from her eyes as she watched the young mortal steel himself. He was so much like Zeus... she shook her head. No! That was impossible. But was it? Was it possible... was Naruto that world's Zeus?

Her heart started beating faster as she glanced at her younger brother.

Truth smirked to himself, all the pieces were starting to coming together.

 **It had taken hours to regroup with Inu-taicho and the rest of the squad, but when Usagi and Tora explained what had transpired earlier in their border patrol, they regretted it.**

 **"You're worse than trash now." Inu's cold voice hit Tora and Usagi like an enraged Tsunade. "How could you just leave him to die like that?" The worst part about it was that he wasn't even yelling at them. He was speaking in a soft and very scary voice.**

 **"But he…" Usagi tried to defend herself but couldn't think of anything to say.**

Apollo rested his head in the palm of his hand, "I agree with Inu. They are worse than trash..." He paused to look at Hades, "I think I've found you some new interns, Uncle H."

"Gee, thanks." Hades replied with a roll of his eyes, "Why does everyone assume I like people like that?"

 **They had abandoned someone who truly cared for them. They knew of his abilities to feel almost what others thought. He must have known what their response was to his attempt to establish a bond.**

"And despite knowing this, you still went and did it." Hermes clapped his hands sarcastically, his eyes like daggers.

 ** _The two ANBU's hearts almost broke when he took his mask off and smiled at them of all things. "Because we're comrades, you'd do the same for me if it was the other way around."_**

 ** _Nezumi sometimes wished he couldn't feel people's hearts._**

 ** _No we wouldn't…_**

 **They didn't get the chance to speak again; Inu was gone, out to look for his wayward kohai.**

 ** _Minutes after Usagi and Tora left_**

 **Nezumi, no, he was Naruto now – he was awake – was face to face with two S-class Jinchuuriki. They had taken countless lives; Konoha-nin included, and had years to tame the beasts within. Naruto was eight, and the only time he had interacted with his charge they didn't even speak.**

 **Unfortunately for them, that was enough.**

 ** _Flashback_**

 ** _When the old pervert finally made it to Konoha, Naruto was put to work right away, and not just in Senjutsu._**

 ** _Jiraiya-sensei had been adamant that Naruto try and establish a link between him and the Kyuubi. Naruto didn't mind so much as he just didn't know how._**

 **" _Just relax," the Toad Sage told him, "calm yourself and visualize what you want."_**

 ** _Naruto sighed, what exactly was it that he wanted? Jiraiya had said that he was Konoha's Jinchuuriki, and even though he didn't like it personally, his fellow Sennin told him that he needed to learn how to harness the Bijuu's power. Of course Naruto wanted to protect Konoha, but he felt guilty just taking what was not his. Didn't he kill a Kumo-nin for that?_**

 ** _So what did he want?_**

 ** _Deciding to just wing it and come up with an answer later, Naruto dived into his own mind. It was a wet, dark, and broken place. So nothing unusual. A long corridor, what looked like an underground sewer of sorts, stretched out from both behind and in front of him. Water dripped from the ceiling and the walls were cracked. Did he mention that he was knee high in something he hoped was water, because he was? He chose to walk forward – might as well – and he began to regret his choice. It felt like hours had passed since he arrived and everything seemed to be the same, never changing, dingy hallways._**

Dionysus frowned as he watched the scene, "Well that's not good, not good at all." He smiled at the confused look on everyone's faces, "That is his soulscape, a representation of both his mind and soul, and the fact that it is like that... well it doesn't bode well for him, or those that are close to him."

"Really?" Aphrodite was the first to ask, "I mean it does look kind of bad, but I doubt it would be life threatning."

The god of madness shook his head in exasperation, "Lady... that is his soul we're talking about. He should be dead for all intents and purposes. The fact he's still alive... I'm trully stumped as to how that is possible. It may have something to do with his power, but I can't be to certain."

 ** _That's when he came upon the large room that doubled as a cell on the far side, a very, very large cell. The metal bars, adorning a large tag the read 'seal' reached into the darkness that was above them, lost in the expanse that was his mind._**

 _ **For a long drawn out moment, everything was still. He began to think nothing was beyond those figurative bars, until a single, red-slitted eye peered through the darkness, capturing the small boy in its gaze.** _

"Ah, the demon." Dionysus smiled, "I was curious as to what kind of creature could be sealed into a child." He stroked his beard in thought as a small laugh escaped him, "It certainly isn't lacking in the size department."

Apollo snorted, "That thing could give Kong a run for his money, the Peter Jackson version that is."

 ** _Before, when Naruto tried to feel the mass in his gut, he only ever felt hatred or malice, and at times, loneliness._**

 ** _Now, standing so close to the famed monster, he seemed almost…calm. Naruto smiled. Was his soothing natural energy relaxing the all-powerful Bijuu?_**

"He's still such a child... so much to learn about the divine and monstrous." Dionysus rolled his eyes at the inquisitive look Athena sent him, "The demon is probably just curious as to what the 'ant' is doing. It's like us gods, we barely care about the humans, unless it's to satisfy some sort of itch or desire."

Zeus nodded, "I agree with my son. We live a very long time, some might even say too long, compared to humans. We watch as they grow old, changing the world around them, for better and worse. What is one human compared to the rest of their species?" He noticed the sad look on Herme's face, "Pan knew this, Hermes. He was a good person, maybe even too good for this world, despite some of his other traits."

 ** _Whatever the case may be, Naruto was certain that the Kyuubi could feel him as well, like he too had the ability to read emotions. Naruto never felt so close to another in all his life. They were the same, in more ways than one._**

 ** _They were both scorned by the world. They were both the definition of strong. They were both forced upon each other. They were both too different than what people were comfortable with. And by far the most important and startling similarity was that they were both…_**

 **… _monsters._**

 ** _Standing proud and tall, not against the misunderstood Bijuu, but beside him, was thrilling. There was no need for words. Everything was being said through their eyes._**

 ** _I'm sorry for what's happened to you._**

 ** _I know._**

 ** _I'm going to save you._**

 ** _I know._**

 ** _I'll need your help._**

 ** _The visage that was the Kyuubi morphed into the terrifyingly wicked grin that stalked the nightmares of so many._**

 ** _I know._**

 ** _End Flashback_**

Apollo blinked, "A Kyubi... interesting. I never thought I would see such a beast again." He couldn't help but blush as he remembered his lost love, Inari. He could still remember the way her golden furry ears felt when ever he would pet them.

 **Naruto wasn't sure why Team Ro felt so awe struck when he returned to the village the next morning. _He's in tattered and scorched rags, a sure sign of battle._ Even Usagi and Tora felt like they were relieved and… happy? _His face mask is nowhere to be seen and he's covered head to toe in soot._ That was strange, but Naruto was never one to look a gift horse in the mouth. _What happened to you out there?_ ** Still **he was disappointed in himself.**

 **One got away.**

 ** _Kakashi stored his observations away for after what was to come._**

 **Before he could think more on that line of thought, Tora and Usagi approached Nar- no, he wasn't awake anymore – he was Nezumi now. The two approached Nezumi with a small bit of trepidation in their step.**

 **No, he didn't want them to fear him!**

 **That's when he realized it. "We apologize for being worse than trash, Nezumi-kohai!" They both shouted simultaneously, their heads lowered in a deep bow. They weren't afraid of him; they were upset with themselves for abandoning a teammate. They… accepted him?**

 **Nezumi's heart jumped. Was it finally that time? Was he now noticed as important?**

 **"If you have it in you to forgive us, we promise to treat you with the respect you deserve." Usagi begged.**

 **"I would be proud to work alongside such an amazing comrade." Tora added.**

 **That was it, the word he was waiting, _craving_ to hear. It was that time after all. He was finally a part of Konoha, small as it may be. He was being recognized as a comrade and not someone not even worth the oxygen he consumed.**

Zeus's hands started to twitch as lightning shot of them, "I'm doing my best to contain my rage... but I want it noted that I really want to destroy that village. Maybe even grant a few people immortality, just so that I can torture them forever."

Hades couldn't help but be surprised by Zeus, he was normally far more reserved than that, "You ok there, brother?" He hadn't seen him that angry in a long time. Poor Promethius... he didn't deserve to have his liver eaten.

 **Nezumi chuckled. "You guys look silly bowing your heads to an eight year old." Usagi and Tora raised their heads. "Of course I'd like to work with you," here he spread his arm out, motioning to the rest of the members, "all of you, if that's okay." The smile on his soot covered face was all the gathered members of Team Ro needed to break into cheers of approval. The kid was alright in their book.**

 **Naruto could feel it, all of the accepting hearts and minds of his team. It was almost too much to handle.**

 **Almost.**

Apollo used a napkin to dab at his eyes, the tears flowing freely, "The feels, man. The feels are to much!" He couldn't help but hug his twin sister as he cried into her shoulder, wetting her dress.

"I hate it when he does this," Artemis mumbled to herself as she pat her brothers back. She glanced to Truth and mouthed for him to hurry up.

 **"Nezumi, you need to be debriefed." Inu-taicho spoke above the yelling. "The Hokage needs to know what happened during the time you were MIA."**

 **The cheers died down, but the emotions still filled the air, and that was enough. Nodding to his captain, Nezumi headed for the exit, intent on following the silver-haired man. Before he could make it out of the door though, Usagi called out his name, causing him to stop and turn to the woman.**

 **"Yes, Usagi-senpai?" He asked, a gentle smile stuck to his face. Damn, he really needed to work on his poker face.**

 **"I forgot to say this before but…" she paused, looking back at Tora who nodded at her. "… Thank you, and welcome to the ANBU." She crooked her mask to the side slightly so that only he could see what lay underneath – dark onyx eyes that complimented her long dark hair, a small nose, luscious lips, and an altogether pretty face – and planted a small kiss on his cheek.**

 **The room lit up in ohhhh's and Nezumi's face went a deep scarlet. He was also pretty sure he had an incredibly stupid grin plastered to his face too, but he didn't care. That was _awesome_!**

 **He did it. He was now _officially_ a member of the zoo.**

Hermes couldn't help but chuckle, "Not even ten, and he's already getting kisses from the ladies. Heh, he might even be better than us."

 **Having heard the happening's that his newest operative explained, in great detail, about the death match he had with two people he was unfortunately familiar with, had the Lord Third Hokage nervous.**

 **Seeing the subsequent head of Yoton no Roshi laid out on his desk, unsealed from the scroll said operative put it in after he managed to defeat and kill the powerful man scared him further. What couldn't this boy accomplish?**

Aphrodite crinkled her nose in disgust, "Eew. Who wants the head of a dead man?" Seeing the lifeless eyes made her uncomfortable, "Besides Hades that is."

"Come on people! How many times do I have to say it? I don't like stuff like that!" Hades felt like he was the butt of every joke, "I'm a god of the Underworld, not a god of gore or death."

 **"Jiji…about the Yonbi…" The soot covered blond even looked nervous here, "we… we need to talk." His eyes dragged over to where he could feel the ever present ANBU watching their leader closely. "In private," his voice was riddled with concern.**

 **Great, what now?**

"And that's episode two." Truth pressed a button on the remote in his hand, "Any thoughts?" He glanced to the deities in the room, and sole, sleeping, demi-goddess.

Seeing no one raise their hand, he shrugged his shoulders, "Fine by me. If anyone needs me, I'll be setting up the next episode."

* * *

 **Chapter 2 is now done!  
**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

 **Notes: If anyone has any questions, feel free to pm me. I'll try my best to answer any questions you guys have. Also, you can leave a question in the review, I check those often.  
**

 **Goal: 60 reviews, or more.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here we are**

 **Chapter Three**

 **AN at the bottom, nothing bad I promise, but I suggest you read it. It explains why this took so long.**

* * *

"Listen up, children." Truth's voice resonated through the auditorium. His form was resonating golden power as he looked at the deities in the room. To them, he was like a waterfall of pure power. For mortals, though, he looked like a glow stick.

Thankfully, the sole demi-goddess in the room was fast asleep. Had she been awake, she would have been confused as to what was going on.

He pulled an orb of pure energy out of his pocket, "This here happens to be the next chapter of the story." He leveled a glare at Ares, his glare forcing the god of war back into his chair, "And don't even think about it." He wasn't letting the war monger anywhere near the story.

"I'm going to start the next chapter," He snapped his fingers and watched as the orb floated up to the screen on the stage, its mass seemingly melding with the 'screen'.

 **Hero or Monster**

 **Chapter Three – The Might of Konoha**

 ** _A warzone is a place someone like me can thrive in. Opposing sides fight to the death to claim the victory. Everyone on the opposite side is fair game; all of them must die._**

"Exactly," Ares nodded his head like a wise old sage man, a small stringy white beard forming on his chin, "There can be no survivors in the game of war." His outfit changed to that of a Chinese ceremonial dress. His eyes became much smaller, similar to an Asian person.

 ** _Monsters like me are the star players in the game that is war. It's a place we can feel alive, free, awake._**

Ares laughed loudly, "Oh, if only my influence could reach to that world. The boy would be my son and heir, the new god of war." T'was a shame he couldn't, though... he shot Truth a small look. Maybe it could, still, be possible.

Zeus rubbed his chin in thought. He too was of a similar mind, though... he personally thought that the boy would be much better than Ares. He would be taking a page out of Odin's book... but it would be worth it.

 ** _I never thought I would have the privilege to not only witness one of these ridiculous bouts, but help bring about the fall of the very person who started one. I'm elated that I was wrong._**

 ** _Greetings war-torn Mizu no Kuni, a monster has arrived to set you free._**

 ** _Me._**

"A good start," Hades muttered, his dark eyes narrowed in thought. The boy, this monster, was a demon... something that he would not want to face on a bad day.

 **The shores that made up the coast of Mizu no Kuni were heavy with fog. The sun was nowhere in sight, and the air was thick with moisture. It felt like it could rain any minute now.**

 **The small fishing village the four-man cell arrived at was said to belong to the Resistance. The war between them and the Lord Fourth Mizukage was heavily reliant on territorial dominance. Mizu no Kuni was made up of several islands, all centering the country's Hidden Village, Kirigakure no Sato, which was currently in the hands of the tyrant known as Yagura.**

 **The man was leading a crusade to purge the bloodline users from Mizu. It was said that he thought them to be too dangerous to let live, so decided to kill his own people out of fear. Hundreds of thousands had already been slaughtered, and many more still lived in fear of his genocide. The other nations all decided to stay out of Mizu's business, letting them handle their own domestic affairs.**

Zeus closed his eyes in thought, "So... this man... thinks himself a leader?" His form was sparking with electricity, forcing his wife to leave his side lest she be struck by his anger.

He knew that it was hypocritical of him, after all, he had done the same thing before. The difference, though, was that he had exterminated the Gold people in one fell swoop. He might have been paranoid, but he still had the heart to give them a merciful death.

"No good leader exterminates the people that make up his nation." His white hair was starting to turn black, akin to that of a dark stormy day, "For only a fool inspires fear."

Truth nodded his head in agreement, "Agreed. The mortal has planted the seed for his own demise." Now, time would do the rest of the work and help that seed to become a strong foundation for a rebellion.

His attention went back to the little boat that moved through the waters, the fog hiding its approach.

 **The bloody and crippling civil war finally reached the Land of Fire's citizens, in a way. A small scientific expedition into the waters that bordered Hi no Kuni and Mizu no Kuni turned into a massacre. The group of six civilian scientists – not a shinobi in sight – was captured by the Mizukage's forces and executed on the false charges of espionage. Konoha received their heads a week later, courtesy of the Mizukage himself.**

"...He's fucked." Apollo stated, his Truth domain making the fact known. He smiled sheepishly at his frowning aunt, "Sorry." But the fact remained, it would be a massacre when Naruto got his hands on the stupid man.

 **Yagura was a fool, because now Konoha had him in her sights. She cried for his blood, and his blood she shall be given. The Mizukage was playing a dangerous game by poking the sleeping dragon that was the God of Shinobi's wrath.**

 **That's why the Lord Third ordered a small contingent of Ro-Han to join the Resistance and strike at Yagura directly.**

 **Taking a deep breath of the cold, salt air riddled afternoon air of the shoreline, Nezumi glanced at the captain of their newest assignment, Neko-senpai. The woman had long beautiful purple hair, and that was all that Nezumi knew about the cat-masked operative. She was an ANBU through and through, she never took her mask off, at least since he joined the corps two and a half years ago. Nezumi knew better though, she was a warm person and thought the same as he and Inu-taicho; the team was just as important as the mission. That made it easier for him to suddenly be under her command.**

"He's so cute!" Aphrodite squealed loudly as she looked at the mask-wearing Naruto. She pulled a small camera out of her bosom, ignoring the stares from all the males, and took a picture of the scene.

There was so much potential for that little boy.

Artemis rolled her eyes at the air-headed goddess. Why couldn't she focus on the important matters? She, personally, liked the fact that Naruto, Nezumi, and Inu all shared the same ideology.

 **To his left was the 'official' youngest ANBU agent in Konoha, Karasu; his best friend. The crow-masked operative joined the fold half a year after the little _incident_ that caused Team Ro to finally accept him.**

 **It came to no surprise to Nezumi that Karasu entered the Black Ops, the things the blond felt coming from the young Uchiha amazed even him. He was strong, obviously, but his mind and heart made Nezumi instantly want to befriend him the moment he walked into Ro-Han's changing room. Being the closest to him in age was a factor too.**

 **After a few missions together, the two became quick friends and were usually paired together. Team Ro had been a little more accepting when the** **ten year old joined; after working with an eight year old juggernaut made sure they'd never judge someone by their age again.**

Hera had to agree with the last sentence. She had learned that lesson after she had failed to kill baby Hercules. Bastard still held it over her head.

 **Crouching next to Karasu was the newest member of Ro-Han, Saru. It was strange, first Karasu, and now Saru called him Nezumi-senpai. He was too embarrassed to refer to them as kohai though, he was only ten now! They were both at the very least two years older than him.**

 **Saru had shown a lot of respect to Nezumi right away, and that confused him greatly. The monkey-masked man had explained that he was somewhat of a celebrity among the younger operatives at HQ, even if it was just a rumor.**

 **A child with the strength of an entire army was what they described him as, and some even said that he was invincible. Nezumi was less than pleased about the rumors. His status as an operative was top secret; he was the Hokage's personal shadow, a silent defender. He didn't mind fame, but his Hokage had wanted him to be a whisper, not a poster boy for the village. They had Itachi for that.**

Poseidon chuckled, his laughter showing the strength that he was famed for, "A secret weapon that's not a secret? That's bound to have some interesting consequences."

Hermes nodded his head, he too understood the humor in that fact. Being a thief, he liked being a secret, a rumor to the wind. If he was known all around, he wouldn't be able to do half the things he did, and still does.

 **Of course, Saru was in his mid-twenties, but that was apparently young enough to 'look up' to the legend that was slowly coming forth.**

A small chuckle escaped the lips of everyone present.

 **His thoughts were interrupted. "Nezumi, find the Resistance, we need to meet up with them and explain Hokage-sama's orders." Neko spoke, giving her first order as a captain. Nezumi nodded, already doing what he was told. The village was small and not a lot of people resided in it. That made it incredibly easy to lock onto the strong chakra signatures that he was sure belonged to the Resistance.**

 **"Done. They're not far from here, just northeast of this position, ten minutes I'd say." Nezumi replied, waiting for the next orders to be given.**

 **"Lead the way." she said, confident in his abilities. Having worked with the young blond for the better part of two years made her a firm believer that he was in a league far out of her reach. She was just glad that he was letting her run the show, someone else that knew that they were the greater would have given her trouble during the entire assignment.**

"Ah... she's a newbie." Ares chuckled into his mutton like hand. He loved watching such people get their grunts killed. Although, in this case, he was wishing that his future heir was in charge.

 **That's why she respected Nezumi, he was far from arrogant and loved to cooperate with his team, always listening to orders and offering help whenever it was needed.**

"Gay!" Ares jeered at the image of the purple haired woman. Respect? Who the fuck wanted such a thing? That was totally a sissy thing. He ignored the various glares from his family.

Hermes, ever the smooth-spoken, sighed into his hand, "What a moron." He feared what would happen if Ares ever managed to take control of Olympus... it would probably be worse than even the Titan's taking control.

 **"Yes, captain." And with that, he took off in the direction of the higher than average chakra signatures, leading the cell for the short duration. He took in the sights of the village as he raced across it. There were a lot of shops, and the ground of the shopping district was made of cobblestone; different. The people here looked so sad, and the young ANBU operative could feel their suffering. Good. Now he had more of a reason to fulfil his Hokage's orders. Yagura _had_ to die.**

 **Like he said, it only took ten minutes before they reached a seemingly random hut at the edge of a dock. Nezumi knew better, he could feel the shinobi below them. No one could escape his sensing capabilities; he was the greatest sensor in the village after all, able to feel the emotions and intentions of anyone in his range, which was incredibly large.**

 **Nodding to Neko, the mouse-masked boy fell back, allowing the woman to take the lead again.**

 **Stretching her arm out to rasp against the wooden door, she was cut off by a burly man with long black hair. "State your business, Konoha-nin. I've done nothing wrong, and you have no jurisdiction in this part of the world." His voice was gruff, matching his appearance perfectly. The scar that ran across the bridge of his nose reminded Nezumi of a chunin he knew to work at the academy.**

 **He didn't know the man's name, but he knew that if he went to the academy, he would want that man to be his instructor. He had a good heart.**

 **Neko chose her words carefully. "We've come on the behalf of the Lord Hokage." _We have jurisdiction anywhere we so please._ She gave the man a respectful nod of her head. "Konoha wishes to help wash away the red from the waters." _We're here to clean house._**

"Talk about cocky," Apollo whistled, his eyes scanning the purple haired woman's figure, "If she were a man, I'd say she had some big ones." He didn't blame her, though. Seeing what kind of things Naruto could do, he could say that if he were a mortal, he'd be feeling quite safe.

 **There it was. The code the Resistance used to identify friendlies. That little piece of information was invaluable to them. Without it, the Resistance wouldn't have let them anywhere near their plans. What they say about Jiraiya must be true; the man was a master spy.**

 **"Wait here for a moment," was the man's reply, disappearing from the door to enter the small shack. Five minutes later, the man returned and ushered them into the hut, which would have looked strange to onlookers. The hut looked like it could only fit two of them in at the same time.**

 **The hut itself was just a ploy, what lay underneath it was the true hideout. The underground tunnel was very large; an experienced Doton user must have had a hand in creating it. The tunnel stretched out for a small distance, which let out in an even larger room. There were people scurrying about like worker Bees. Nezumi chuckled, it was like a hive. So that must mean the absolutely beautiful woman with long, auburn hair sitting at the very large table in the center giving him a predatory glare like he was her prey was the Queen.**

"Not gonna lie, she's not that pretty," Aphrodite admitted, "Although she has beautiful hair, and a very nice figure... her face isn't anything special." A part of her was kind of upset that her family thought that she was pretty... because she wasn't.

"She speaks the truth of her opinion," Apollo affirmed her statement, although he disagreed with the said opinion. He personally thought that she was stunning, a very rare gem. Oh, woe to his cursed existence. Why did she have to live in that world?

Truth rolled his eyes, both of them were being too childish. Their emotions were flowing of them in waves.

 **' _This should be fun.'_ He thought to himself before joining Neko and the rest of the team in making their way to the obvious leader.**

 **The smirk on her face kind of excited Nezumi. "So, Konoha finally decides to send assistance and all we get are three ANBU." She shook her head in mock hurt. "I'm disappointed."**

 **"Four," Neko spoke, "you've been given four ANBU to your cause."**

"The kids..." Hermes realized, "The woman's not counting the kids." Oh, this was going to be good. The moment she realized what Naruto could do, she'd be eating the dirt.

Hera grimaced... she'd made the same mistake many times before. She rubbed her forehead in a soothing manner, attempting to stave off a headache that was forming.

 **"Ah, but you're wrong, sweetheart." she retorted. "The children only count as half an ANBU." her smile was still as sweet as it had first been. "So I've been given three, such a shame too, I really could have used the help."**

 **Saru decided to speak on behalf of Karasu and Nezumi. "You're going to eat those words later on, beautiful." Nezumi sighed; Saru was _always_ hitting on women. Even now, in a foreign country and in the presence of what the blond could feel to be a powerful kunoichi.**

Artemis grimaced, "Men... what a shame." Here, she was thinking that he was a respectable man... guess she was wrong. Although, to be fair, he didn't seem like a bad guy. She'd still reserve judgment, but her opinion of him had just dropped a little.

 **The woman's predatory smirk intensified. Yup, Nezumi definitely liked this one. "Oh? Now I just can't wait to see what the youth of Konoha is capable of." She almost sounded genuine, but she couldn't escape Nezumi's abilities. No matter how good of a liar she was.**

 **"Our Hokage has given us orders to shadow the Resistance and assist in any and every way possible. Our goal is to get Yagura alone with Nezumi here." She informed the woman, gesturing to the smallest member of the cell.**

 **A delicate eyebrow rose on the beautiful woman's face. "And why would you're Hokage wish to have a child confront a Kage-level Jinchuuriki?" Nezumi was glad that he had his mask on** , **because if he didn't, everyone would have seen the absolutely terrifying smile on his face.**

 **"The Lord Hokage wishes to end the life of the Yondaime Mizukage. The easiest way for that to happen is if we wake our sleeping comrade." The blond really loved how his team understood him so. He would have started laughing if he hadn't trained so hard to be capable of keeping his emotions in check. The woman was now really confused.**

 **He guessed that she'd never met a monster before.**

"I doubt anyone has," Hades snorted at the thought of a mortal seeing a monster, and living to see the next dawn, "Personally, I count him more as a demon. Monsters kill anyone that they can get their hands on: doesn't matter if they are friend or foe."

Athena tilted her head in thought, that was a very good point. She looked at her Uncle in a new light. If anyone knew anything about monsters and would be willing to tell her, then it would be Hades.

"Are you free this Saturday to talk?" She asked, already clearing a few days of her schedule.

Hades nodded his head, "Of course."

 **"Black Harbor," Terumi Mei began, "is a Loyalist controlled prison. It houses a good portion of our people." Here, an angry expression flashed across the woman's face. "The ones the bastard keeps alive."**

 **It had only been a few hours since the Team Ro contingent met with the Resistance, and they were already being put to work. Karasu was indifferent. Saru was annoyed. Neko was ready to serve. And Nezumi was excited. If they could help win the war for the Resistance, Kiri, with whoever became the Mizukage – Nezumi thought it would most likely be Mei – would be indebted to Konoha. He was going to have a hand in creating a peaceful alliance for his home and Kiri. He would save so many lives.**

 **And take so many more. It was a win-win situation.**

"Does anyone else find it strange," Apollo started, "That he wants to save lives, and yet, at the same time, take them?" He scratched his head in thought, cause that was so confusing. He shot a questioning look at Truth.

Truth shrugged his shoulders, "Don't look at me." He might know the answer, but he had no plans of revealing it. It was their job to find out more about him.

 **"You want my team to, what, pull off a prison break?" Neko asked. She didn't see how this would help them any.**

 **"Yes, that is exactly what I want** of **you and your little team." Nezumi could feel that Neko didn't like Mei too much. "My top General went in to find information on the whereabouts of Yagura's top weapons manufacturing buildings." The green-eyed woman brushed a stray hair back into one of the four bangs that framed her face. "I was planning on sending three of my teams in, but if what you say about the two kiddies is true, then I haven't the need to, now do I?"**

 **Nezumi could understand why she wasn't Mei's biggest fan. She kind of came off as arrogant, but maybe that was just because she didn't know them all that well.**

 **Nezumi wanted to chuckle again; he could play that game if that's what she wanted. "No." The smallest out of the Konoha ANBU said, looking at Neko. "Let me go in alone, captain." Ah, there it was. The emotion he was looking for from the auburn-haired woman; incredulous. "This doesn't call for the four of us." He turned his masked face towards Mei. "I should be more than enough. Any more would be overkill."**

 **While Terumi was shocked into silence, Neko was mulling it over in her head. Nezumi usually never outright asked for a solo assignment, he was just given them because he was the only person strong enough to take them on. So why was he doing so now? That's when she realized what he was thinking. The Resistance didn't trust them, and worse, they thought they weren't capable.**

 **That little genius! He had worded it as a suggestion, giving her the authority to make the decision. He knew she was worried that he would try and take over, and to squash those thoughts, he showed she had seniority in front of the others.**

"Kid is smart," Athena admitted, ignoring the strange cough from Poseidon, "Naruto's not thinking like the kid he is, he's acting like a loyal, powerful, soldier. One that value's his home's safety above all else. For him, his pride is in his home."

"Yes," Poseidon hated to admit that Athena was right, but... what he next said made it all worth it "Shame you can't do the same." He knew that the smirk on his face infuriated the wisdom goddess.

Zeus sighed, why couldn't the two avoid getting into an argument?

 **He also knew that the only way for the Resistance to realize just how valuable the team was, they needed to be shown that they were more than capable of fighting the good fight. If the youngest of the group could take down an entire prison filled with enemy combatants, not only would the cell be shown respect, but he'd be showing them Konoha's might. It did everything that both they and Konoha needed all in one go.**

 **It still astounded her how the boy was able to think and strategize to win the game with only one move. He truly was the monster he claimed to be. It just took her a while to fully understand what that meant.**

 **"Permission granted." Neko nodded her head, both in confirmation and thanks. She was sure he could feel her gratitude. "Do as you see fit to complete the mission."**

 **Nezumi got the message. _I agree, and thank you._ "Yes, captain."**

Ares resisted the urge to scowl, a slight grunt emerging from his mouth. He detested the fact that Naruto was taking orders from someone that was leagues weaker than him. He should have been taking what he wanted, destroying anything that stood in his path.

'I'll change that once I get my hands on him,' Ares thought to himself, his eyes gaining a slight reddish glow.

 **"Wait a minute here!" Mei finally spoke up. "You're really going to just send the one kid?" She couldn't believe the boy was as strong as they were implying him to be, she just couldn't. She knew that Konoha was the greatest of the Five, and that they produced child prodigies in bulk, but this was just ridiculous. What the hell did they feed their children in that village?**

 **"Yes. Nezumi is very special, and more than capable of accomplishing the required task." Neko replied. "Don't be so quick to underestimate the ninja of our village. Its fell mightier shinobi than you." Nezumi wished he could laugh, that was a good one. And it was the truth, which made it even better.**

 **Mei was silent for a moment, her narrowed eyes on the blond boy. Then she relented. "Fine, but if he gets my people killed it's on your heads."**

 **Nezumi cocked his head to the right. His suspicions were correct; she was beautiful at every angle.**

"Not really," Aphrodite's right eye was twitching with irritation. The only thing that helped was the fact that Naruto was young, having not yet grown into his own tastes.

 **Sarutobi Hiruzen sat at his desk in his office, once again stuck doing paperwork. It really became overwhelming at times if he didn't take much needed breaks. Speaking of much needed breaks, "Jiraiya-kun, it's good to see you again." He said to seemingly no one.**

 **That's when the aforementioned Sannin seemed to melt out of the wall, his camouflage technique deactivating. "Damn, sensei, you're almost as good as the gaki." Student spoke to teacher, his ever present smug smirk on his face.**

"I feel you, old man." Zeus nodded his head in sympathy, he too knew the horrors that paperwork brought with them. He ignored the strange looks from the rest of his family, they would never understand what he had to go through each and every day of his never-ending life.

The only ones who could even comprehend of such a thing were his two brothers, both having their own domains and kingdoms to rule.

 **"You can't fool me yet, Jiraiya; I taught you everything you know after all." The Sandaime made a pouting face. "Besides Senjutsu."**

 **The Sennin roared with laughter. "That expression you made doesn't belong on the face of the Hokage, old man!" Hiruzen mock glared at his pupil.**

 **"Careful, Jiraiya-kun, you're getting pretty old yourself." The Sage's laughter immediately stopped. Great, was he really a geezer now?**

 **"Whatever." Jiraiya mumbled. "Where's the gaki? I've got some time before I need to head back out." The white-headed man leaned against the Hokage's desk. "Thought I'd get a little training in with him before I leave."**

 **Hiruzen shook his head. "Naruto-kun is out on a mission, he won't be back for some time." He informed his former student.**

 **Jiraiya sighed. "Another one?" He asked. "Do you ever give the kid a break?" It was true; Naruto was always out in the field, probably more so than he was in Konoha. His mission count was off the charts, and he hadn't failed a single one yet.**

 **He'd been virtually everywhere the Elemental Nations had to offer, and that was a year ago. His success rate was one hundred percent, something no other before him had accomplished. Jiraiya didn't know if he should be proud or nervous that Minato's son was already able to whip his ass in a spar.**

"Neither," All the males in the room said, "You should be embarrassed and ashamed." It didn't matter if Naruto was more powerful, Jiraya had more skill thanks to his years of experience. Yet he still lost to a child.

Apollo sighed, "Some master spy you are." He rubbed his hair in tiredness, "Can't even beat someone that's young enough to be your grandson." Everyone nodded their heads in agreement with the bright Sun god.

 **Naruto was a true prodigy, a genius among geniuses. He had surpassed many of the world's most powerful men and women by now, and he was only ten, nearing his eleventh birthday. He shared the Sandaime's worries of what the young Uzumaki would become in the near future.**

Hopefully **he would stay the same; a loyal Konoha patriot.**

 **"He enjoys what he does Jiraiya." The Sandaime said, rubbing his temples with his thumbs. "He gets restless if he doesn't serve." He finished.**

 **"I guess…" The Toad Sage mumbled. "So, what are you having him do this time?" He asked, curious** of **what the blond was up to.**

 **The tales that he would hear from the Jinchuuriki were the stuff you'd tell your children at night. Knights saving princesses, heroes slaying terrible beasts, and, his personal favorite, when the boy got the girl. That was a toned down version of course. You couldn't tell your child someone their age was killing and slaughtering his enemies in mass, or how that same child was performing things that could make even grown men sick.**

 **And he never really 'got' the girl; he'd just sometimes receive a thankful peck on the cheek or forehead. But Jiraiya digressed.**

 **"I sent him to Mizu no Kuni**. **" Hiruzen replied. "I'm having him deal with the little problem over there."**

 **"And by 'little problem,' you mean the civil war, don't you?" Jiraiya asked. "So nothing too different then; save a country and kill off a repressive tyrant that's gone mad with power." His deadpan was barely concealed. "That sounds just peachy…"**

 **Hiruzen nodded. "Indeed. I'm glad you understand." Jiraiya sighed. He really missed his godson.**

"...I think we can all agree that it's strange that they are comfortable with sending a grown child to do an adult's job," Hestia stated with a frown on her face, her honey brown eyes narrowed in sadness.

She ignored her warlike nephew, she had no patience for such a person.

"I agree... but he is the most effective person for the dirty jobs," Hera admitted, she didn't like the fact either, but she could understand where the Hokage was coming from.

 **Nezumi now understood why the prison was called Black Harbor.**

 **The walls that encased the prison were made of some sort of black material that could withstand several high-ranking ninjutsu, or so Mei would have him believe. Yagura made sure that his prisoners of war had no hope of escape. Take away a person's hope and they might as well be dead. Walking husks of the people they used to be was not a life worth living.**

 **The black material was the reason why the prison was so hard to break into. And this so called impossible feat was what Nezumi was tasked with completing. He first needed to break down the almost unbreakable walls, storm the prison, free the prisoners, and then find and escort this Ao-san back to the base. It was either that or sneak in and do everything covertly, but Nezumi decided to send a message to the Mizukage.**

 ** _We're coming for you. Signed, your friendly Konoha ten year old._**

"I actually like it," Hades admitted, his right hand stroking his beard, "Sure it's a bit bleak, even for me, but add some sunshine and I think you have the potential for a fearsome sight."

He looked to Hephestus, "Do you think you can make something like that for me?"

"Maybe," The master smith mulled over the details in his head, "It would take a bit of time to find the materials necessary, but I think it could be done."

 **Taking a moment to pull in the natural energy around him, the change of his eyes from blue to gold marked his entering Sage Mode. At first, Ero-sennin was astounded that he could enter the enhanced state so quickly, it only took him ten seconds now.**

 **Jiraiya had explained what it was like for him to draw in the world's power. For him, it was like he had to open a door, and then actively pull the chakra in. Nezumi then explained that it felt somewhat similar for him. It was like he had to open the door, but instead of having to consciously pull the energy in, it would instead feel like the natural energy rushed through the door, excited to be reunited with him again.**

 **He inspected the structure for a moment, and then decided to just hit it with one of his more powerful techniques and hope for the best. He was almost positive the walls would fall; nothing should be able to withstand his Sage Dust Techniques.**

 **Raising both of his hands into the air, he began to shape natural energy into a tangible form. He was sure that the prison guards knew he was there now if the high pitched alarms that started going off were anything to go by. It mattered not; he was going to complete his mission.**

 **The energy took the shape of a giant golden-shaped warrior that formed around the blond. He didn't know it at the time, but he was in a way recreating a very rare and powerful Uchiha technique. However, instead of invoking the fabled Susanoo, he called forth something much more befitting a person of his… mindset.**

"Bets anyone?" Hermes raised a wad of cash into the air. Unlike mortal money, their's was a pure gold, "Who do you think he's going to summon?" He also had a sheet of scratch paper beside him, taking notes of the various votes.

"Myself," Ares grinned as he handed over a few hundred dollars. He was totally going to win the bet.

Everyone else rolled their eyes as Ares, he was such an arrogant fool, as the gave their own votes.

 **"Bishamon." Nezumi whispered, his voice only heard by the wind. "Come forth, so that I may bring about justice to those who would deny the laws of our freedom." With those words said, the spectral, molten gold warrior fully materialized, his full body armor and famed spear present, depicting a much more savage and terrifying visage of the God of war and justice.**

Ares' face fell into a scowl as he stared at the Japanese 'god'. That was a few hundred dollars gone. Sure he could easily make more, but the thought still stood.

"What a hunk," Both Aphrodite and Apollo wolf whistled at the massive titan of a god. They would have killed to spend a night with that god.

The maiden huntress rolled her eyes, "Knock it off, you two." She was getting tired of their antics every time they saw someone hot or pretty. It was like she was the only sensible one in the room.

She paused as she felt something pat her head. She looked up at Truth, her eyes burning with rage, "Remove your hand this instance... or lose it."

Truth merely rubbed her head in a fond manner, not afraid of her threat. Though, seeing the glare, he decided to not test the vixen.

 **The spear was held in its left hand, Nezumi needed his right for what he was about to do. Bishamon was topped off with a fiery gold halo, which oddly enough only appeared every other time he summoned the guardian.**

 **It briefly passed through his head that he was waking up now. Naruto was who he was at this moment, so he took his mask off – even though both Inu-taicho and Hokage-jiji kept telling him to stop that bad habit – and gave the world a smile in greeting. Uzumaki Naruto, the monster, was awake.**

 **He let his arms fall to his sides, he didn't need them anymore; Bishamon did what his mind commanded. He took another second to take in a deep breath, basking in the salt smelling air. Then, he released his might upon Black Harbor.**

 **"Senpo: Kami no Migi Te (Sage Art: The Right Hand of God)!" He shouted, and within the span of five seconds, he rushed the prison walls, let loose the devastating technique, and the black barrier came crumbling down like it was a house of cards. The image of Bishamon smashing his right fist into anything brought a happy smile to Naruto's face, which in this case didn't matter, because he was already smiling at the world.**

 **He could hear the terrifying screams of disbelief within his target, and they only excited him more.**

The shock was evident throughout the room as they watched the artificial god destroy the prison. Its anger was evident, though, that was probably due to the fact that Bishamon was a manifestation of Naruto's power.

"He is powerful," Zeus finally commented, his mind running through various plans should he ever meet Naruto. He would hate to strike down a mortal child, but he wasn't against doing it either.

His siblings rolled their eyes, knowing what was going through their king's head.

 **Dropping the golden warrior, Naruto became incredibly faster, nothing but a yellow and grey blur to the men and women that made up the prison detail. His kunai met many throats in one go, and he was happy that there was so much more left.**

 **He unsheathed his tanto, intent on cutting down the three men who were preparing a Suiton technique. Before they could reach the last hand-seal, he was at their backs, the thin blade piercing flesh. With a single slash, all three men fell, gone from this world. While in Sage Mode, his awareness was heightened to such a degree he practically had eyes in the back of his head. This awareness was to thank when he dove to his right, an absolutely _enormous_ fireball smashing down on his previous location soon after.**

 **He took a look at the woman who had tried to turn him into ash and smiled. So she wanted to play with fire did she? He sheathed the tanto he wore on his back, and held his hands in the tiger sign. He was going to fight fire with fire then. "Katon: Goryuka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique)!" He bellowed, and brought forth a giant dragon-headed fireball that raced at the woman with intent to kill. Her screams were all the confirmation he needed.**

 **He repeated the fury with his kunai, ending the lives of ten more guards, their crimson blood staining his bare face with its warm feeling. He didn't quite like the feeling so much as it was just a reminder that he was doing what he was born to do.**

 **He stopped, already done with the set of seals required for the technique he had in mind for the seven shinobi blocking his path into the prison itself. "Futon: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!" This particular jutsu was only a C-rank, but with the amount of chakra that Naruto pumped through it, it could easily be an A-rank. As proven when the seven shinobi stupid enough to block his entrance were cut down with the hurricane force winds that were forced upon them.**

 **He was now inside the bleak prison, time to find the control room. Four minutes and several well timed Rasengan later – he really needed to thank Jiraiya-sensei for teaching him the Lord Fourth's personal jutsu again, it was one of his favorites now – and he made it to the room he could free the prisoners from.**

 **He was disappointed. The enemy was far from satisfying.**

"I'm in agreement with mini-me," Ares crossed his arms in dissatisfaction. That was nowhere near exciting. It had happened too quickly. Naruto, in Ares mind, should have taken his time. There was nothing better than slowly killing your opponents.

He would have to re-educate the boy when he finally met him.

 **Ao was spending his time like all the other prisoners at Black Harbor did; miserably. The 'staff' didn't allow them any pleasantries; they had to sit in their cells and rot. The ex-Hunter-nin was surprised that they remembered to feed them. That in and of itself was a small miracle with the amount of attention they paid them.**

 **He had been stuck in this hellhole called a prison for far too long. He hated himself now for volunteering for this stupid mission. He was just terrified when Mei-sama would mishear him and threaten to take his life. That had been why he volunteered. He had commented on how young the shinobi of Kiri were looking now a days, and how he remembered back in his day, when he was young and not so old looking, that you'd rarely see someone so young make it into the ranks of the village.**

 **That, somehow, translated into him calling the powerful kunoichi old, and therefor unable to make a man fall in love with her age riddled body. Ao had no idea where she got _that_ from his little side remark, but the woman had promptly threatened to kill him, and that's how he ended up stuck in here, on his own accord no less.**

 **The things he did for his country.**

Hermes laughed, "More like the things you do to avoid getting killed by a woman you work under." He wiped a tear from his eye, his divine heart still beating faster than normal.

"You're one to talk," Hera said. Her dull eyes were like glaciers as she stared at the silver-tongued god, "I distinctly remember you doing something similar." Seeing the thief to burn red with embarrassment, she turned her attention back to the tv.

 **That's why, when he heard the alarm bells going off, he had shouted for joy, which was not befitting of a strong man at all. He was just so tired of the nothingness that made up his days for the last two months. At least he got the information he came in here for, so that made it, at the very least, worth it.**

 **That thrice damned Yagura was an evil genius. He had constructed a weapons factory underneath the village of Shio, which resided on the farthest of the southern islands. It was going to be a pain in the backside for the Resistance to get to, it being so deep in Yagura's territory and all. They'd need the backing of several powerful shinobi, which they possessed, but the casualties would almost make it not worth the trouble. Unless they somehow convinced another village to assist them, Ao was thinking that the weapons factory would remained untouched for a good while now.**

 **Not long after the alarm was raised did his cell door open, the Resistance did an excellent job with this one. He thought Mei-sama would send three, _maybe_ four, teams to extract him, but the speed at which he was released from his cell would make him believe she'd sent six or seven. Did he really mean that much to her?**

 **His delusions were severed when he heard the young male voice call his name. "Ao-san!" The blue, moussed-up haired man turned to where he could hear the voice. "I'm looking for an Ao-san! Does anyone know where Ao of the Resistance is?!"**

 **Why was there a child calling his name?**

 **"You there, boy." Ao called out, wanting to know what was going on. Where were the teams that broke him out? "I am Ao of the Resistance, what is it that you need?" He emitted an annoyed feeling, why was there a boy looking for him?**

 **"Ah, so you're Ao-san. Good. Mei-san has sent me here to retrieve you." He sighed. "But I guess we don't have very far to go though."**

 **Ao raised an eyebrow. "Why would Mei- _sama_ ," he put extra emphasis on the _proper_ way to address the powerful woman, "send a child, to Black Harbor of all places, with the retrieval team?" He asked, confusion lacing his words.**

 **The boy scratched the back of his head. "I am the retrieval team." He laughed somewhat sheepishly. "It's just me."**

"Prepare shock in, three... two ... one!" Apollo and Hermes counted down, excitement evident on their faces. They had shades on their faces as explosions went off behind them. It lit up the theater in a brilliant explosion of light and pure wind.

The sudden wind caused the nearby deities to cover their faces lest they get some of the sparks in their eyes. Once it had died down, they shot the two immature gods strong glares.

The strongest was from Artemis, whose long black hair was a mess of what it used to be. Her silver eyes were set into a burning glare as one arm covered her modesty and the other covered her breasts.

The winds had been so strong that it had shredded her dress in all the places she wished it hadn't. She marched out of the room with a burning anger. She would have her vengeance!

Seeing her leave, Truth stated what was on everyone's mind, "You're fucked." He didn't need to look at the two gods to know that they were sweating like crazy. That didn't stop him, though. He looked good and hard, ingraining the memory into his very being. He would be holding this over their head for ages to come, assuming they passed his test and didn't get destroyed.

Although, almost everyone had to agree... the silver panties were hot.

 **Ao was silent for a long moment, an owlish look on his face. Did he just hear that correctly? Did this young blond _boy_ just claim to do what he thought seven teams had done? Was he claiming to have broken into _Black Harbor_ , taken out all of the guards, and then set him, along with everyone else being held captive, free by his lonesome?**

 **He was so shocked that he missed the boy slightly chuckle. He didn't know it yet, but Naruto could feel how astonished and disbelieving the Kiri-nin was.**

 **"Come, your commander is closer than she should be…" It was Naruto's time to be annoyed. Did the woman truly underestimate Konoha? They were the strongest military force in the Elemental Nations for a reason.**

Zeus tried to contain the humor he found in Naruto's thoughts, but assuming by the glare on Hera's face, he hadn't done a very good job of it. It wasn't his fault that he understood where Naruto was coming from.

Hera merely huffed, not wanting to get into an argument with her idiotic husband.

 **Ao nodded dumbly and followed the boy he just realized was a Konoha _ANBU_ of all things. Was the Leaf really so far ahead of Kiri that their children outstripped experienced jonin?**

Both Apollo, Ares, and Hermes shared a look, an idea forming in their heads. Apollo leaned to his half-brother, "You thinking what I'm thinking?" His voice was as quiet as a mouth, but for gods, that was still loud enough.

Hermes nodded back, a serious look on his face, "Of course." He pulled a pen and pad out, "Speak and I shall write it down on paper."

"We build a school for assassins," It was Ares that now spoke, his eyes gleaming with barely concealed interest, "Then... we offer their services to the highest bidder."

A quick jotting down of the notes had Hermes done in no time, though there was one final pressing matter to discuss, "Mortals, or, demi-gods?" That would decide how powerful they wanted their new business to be.

"I think... you should be careful as to how careless you speak," Zeus broke into the conversation, his master bolt now in his hands and pointed directly at the trio, "After all, I'd hate to lose control of this thing and 'accidentally' fry you."

Truth had to contain the smirk on his face, thankfully he was able to do a much better job of that than the King of Olympus. Zeus sure was able to make a good threat, and going by the ashen faces of the trio, they thought the same.

 **When the boy identified as Nezumi left with the guide who was to escort him to Black Harbor, Mei had followed shortly after. She had taken a small team with her too, so when the boy realized that he wasn't as strong as he thought he was, she could step in and do what needed to be done. What she had witnessed truly opened her eyes to how outclassed they were compared to Konoha.**

 **The blond had first whispered something that no one present could hear, and that's when _that thing_ showed up. She wasn't a very religious person, but even she knew of the God of war and justice, and when she saw the child – if he could still even be called one – not only summon him, but command him, she had been terrified. One strike from the golden God collapsed the unbreakable walls, and that's when the boy began his massacre.**

 **The first batch of shinobi that he encountered was run through like butter with a simple kunai. He had no trouble at all, it seemed, with nothing more than that. Then he had used the tanto strapped to his back to cut down three guards so quickly even she couldn't make it out.**

 **When she saw the giant fireball crashing down on him from his blind spot, she had thought it was over. That's when the boy dove out of the way; apparently, he didn't have such a thing as a blind spot. The dragon-like head he spit at the woman responsible for the flames that almost toasted him was all it took to end her life. Mei couldn't believe that a child was so good at killing. And the smile on his face while he did these things unnerved her.**

 **He then went back to a simple kunai to the throat method, taking out at least ten more enemies. After he was blocked by what looked like to be seven shinobi, he unleashed an absolutely ridiculous amount of force in the form of a Futon jutsu.**

Zeus's eyes were narrowed in thought as he watched a small hurricane rip the enemy shinobi to pieces. He watched as the blood stained the ground red, the same thing happening to the boy's hands.

That wind that he had summoned- good god! It had the force of a category one hurricane, a fact that was not to be taken lightly. He glanced at Ares... he really hoped that he didn't manage to sink his claws into the mortal-god.

 **When he had entered the prison, all she could hear were the screams of the men and women that made up the prison guard and small explosions. She saw all of the prisoners – some she recognized, some she did not – fleeing the carcass covered grounds of the confines. Shortly after, the blond, alongside Ao, made their way right for her. She wasn't surprised he knew; she wouldn't doubt the boy ever again. Team Ro had earned her absolute respect.**

 **Before the two could make it to her and the few shinobi she took with her, the boy stopped and turned, telling Ao something she couldn't hear. When her general nodded a bit confusedly, she didn't know what to expect next.**

 **Ao made it to her and saw her confused expression. "He said he didn't like the prison." Ao whispered. "So he's going to raze it to the ground…" He finished, somewhat hesitant of his own words.**

 **At that moment, the whisker-faced boy – which she now found to be both adorable and frightening at the same time – brought his arms into the air once again.**

 **The gold substance that his last attack was made of formed again, and with a shout of, "Tenmei (Heaven's Decree)!" Black Harbor was flattened out of existence by a huge beam of golden light from the sky.**

 **Terumi Mei had just witnessed the most terrifying thing in her still young life. She had seen a child of Konoha, no older than ten she guessed, completely decimate an enemy stronghold by himself. She'd remember that day for the rest of her life.**

 **That day, she had witnessed it.**

 **The might of Konoha.**

Truth smiled as the screen died down, a small orb of energy shooting back into him from the screen. It had been a good chapter and he knew that the others agreed with him.

Before he could say anything, a door slammed open, a small gust of wind indicating the arrival of both Apollo and Hermes doom. For their, standing in all her glory, was the huntress goddess Artemis.

Her eyes burned with righteous indignation as she stormed up to the two and grabbed them by their collars. Her face was so close to theirs that they could smell her breath. It reminded them of a fresh dawn and how the dew would collect on the leaves of a plant or tree.

Truth smiled softly as his mind was taken back to memories long gone, to when the world was just new. He shook his head, now wasn't the time for such things. Although, he did have to admit, Artemis was rocking that new look.

Gone was the ruined dress, now replaced with a white shirt that hugged her stomach, revealing just how toned it was. It had a slightly plunging neckline, not so much, though, that it wouldn't be considered modest.

Just below that, she wore a short, tight, skirt that hugged her legs. It wasn't like the short skirts that Aphrodite had introduced to the entirety of America. No, the one that Artemis wore reached to her knees. It briefly crossed Truth's mind, that, for a virgin goddess, she dressed kind of provocatively. Maybe she had a reason for that, but he didn't really care.

She topped it all of with some heels, raising her hight slightly. It was enough, though, to look down on the cowering imbeciles in front of her.

This was going to be a good show, watching Artemis beat up both Apollo and Hermes.

* * *

 **So... Here's chapter three my loyal fans. What do you think.**

 **I have a good explanation as to why this took so long... and I'll be telling you right now...**

 **hyvnn made me do it! Blame him! (Cowers behind couch, poking screen of computer to see if anything will come out)**

 **But for real, I wasn't able to work on this until I got the chapters. Don't blame hyvnn. Guy has his own personal life, just like me and all of you who are reading this.**

 **Still, thanks for holding out. I'll be workng on the next few chapters of this and my other stories. Also, please check out my other stories:**

 **Humans, Demons, Angels, and Myths**

 **Hunter or Something**

 **Like, Fav, and leave a review** please **.**


	4. Chapter 4

**New chapter my folks.**

 **So help me keep my enthusiam by dropping me a like, fav and most important a review.**

* * *

Artemis frowned as she wiped the dirt off her skirt, beating up Apollo and Hermes had messed her clothes up once again. Unlike the dress, though, she could fix the skirt with a simple wave of her hand. That is, assuming that she could avoid having Truth ban her from using her powers.

She shot a look at her host, who merely nodded his head. Well, at least that answered that question. With a little burst of wind from her hand, her clothes were back to their pristine condition.

As she walked back to her seat, she never noticed red eyes staring at her butt. If she had, she would have beaten up Truth as well. Though she was wondering why Aphrodite was grinning at Truth... that couldn't mean anything good.

Truth rolled his eyes at the love goddess, "If everyone, not including Apollo and Hermes, is ready, I'll play the next chapter." He didn't bother waiting for a reply, he already knew that they were ready.

 **Hero or Monster**

 **Chapter Four – Hell Hath no Fury**

"That sounds so boring," Ares stated blandly, he personally wanted more fights to the death. One couldn't really even blame him for that, it was just in his nature to want violence. He literally lived on war and death!

This... this was going to be a crappy chapter... he could already tell. If this chapter was about women, like he assumed it to be, he'd shoot himself.

 ** _I sometimes wonder if my talents are nothing more than a curse. Why was I, someone so young, given the ability to understand things with such clarity?_**

That was a very good question, one that everyone wanted the answer to. Why was Naruto given his powers? Was there a divine reason or was it all by chance that he was given the power of a god?

 ** _Time and time again, I find myself regretting the power I was given. Why me? The need to be a monster grows more and more with each passing day. The more I try, the more I find ways that I am what I claim to be. Be it mentally, physically, or spiritually. So why is it that I usually end up a hero?_**

"I still like him," Dionysus stated as he looked up from his magazine, "The best heroes are those who don't want to be one." He ignored the thoughtful look on Apollo's face, "He doesn't hide what he is, he doesn't even try and contain the urges that make him the monster that he is."

"I almost forgot that you could be philosophical," Athena joked, her lips quirked up just slightly. It was such a horrid sight, no one even knew that her lips could make sure motions.

"No... not philosophical," Dionysus shot back, his eyes gleaming with latent power, "Just raving mad. For those dumb enough not to understand, it means that I see things differently than you lot."

 ** _At the end of the day, I ask myself these very questions, and reply with the very same answer._**

 ** _Who cares?_**

"Exactly," Dionysus nodded his head, his eyes never leaving the magazine, "You need not answer to anyone else. Just yourself and only yourself." He didn't know how many times he had burned mortals to a crisp for questioning his actions.

Actually... not that he thought about it... wasn't his rampage across Asia caused by someone questioning him?

He shrugged his shoulders, it was a long time ago, didn't really matter anymore. That was the curse of immortality, time goes by so fast, leaving very little to treasure. It also meant that life wasn't sacred to him or the others, well, unless their domain had something to do with the aspect.

 ** _I am a monster, be it Nezumi or Naruto._**

 ** _And every day, I become more and more okay with it._**

Ares grinned, his teeth glinting in the golden light,"Good." He personally agreed with his drunkard of a brother, the more Naruto gave into his desires to be a monster, the easier it would be to convert him into a worthy heir.

He ignored the looks of his family, their opinion of him meant absolutely nothing. If he had his way, he would kill them and harvest their very souls. He would bring mans true nature to light!

He would watch as humans fought amongst themselves, killing and betraying everyone! He would watch as the entire world burned to cinders!

The only problem was that Zeus had put a limit on his powers, preventing him from ever achieving his true status as The God of War!

His grin grew wider, with Naruto's help... he would exact his revenge and show the world, show them all that he was not someone to be trifled with! He would show them all... he just had to get his hands on Naruto first.

 **When Mei returned to where Neko and her team were on standby, the young blond that accompanied her was now Nezumi. He'd had his fun. It was time to put the mask back on and act like he wasn't a monster.**

 **Neko smirked under her porcelain mask, the way the leader of the Resistance kept glancing at her kohai told her all she needed to know. The woman had witnessed, with her own two eyes, the power Konoha had at its beck and call. Good. Now they'd pay attention to what her and her team said. Ah, the benefits of knowing a monster.**

 **"I take it Nezumi was more than efficient in proving that you have been given _four_ operatives who are _more_ than capable of fighting the Mizukage's forces**. **" Neko said somewhat smugly. Having Mei actually say that her kohai's were only worth half an agent really bothered her, and to see how the woman reacted to Nezumi's actions made her feel more than a little smug. Nezumi knew as much, even without his abilities to feel others. Her tone said it all.**

 **Ah, the benefits of being a monster.**

"Indeed," Dionysus stated with a drawl as he threw the magazine that he was reading away, "Many benefits, maybe too much for a mere mortal." He sighed dramatically, "Do you think Neko will scream when Naruto turns on her? Will she cry for mercy when Naruto rips her apart, piece by piece?"

"I'd hope so," Apollo stated, his eyes narrowed in thought, "Cause if she didn't, then it would mean that there was something wrong with her."

 **"Indeed." Mei finally said reluctantly. "I'll make sure not to underestimate you or your team again." She bit out. "You have my word. I'm," the woman actually looked to be in pain, "sorry." There! She said it, now it was time to move on and forget it. She would be hard pressed to admit that she was wrong and apologize to a Konoha-nin again. She loathed having to do it a first time.**

"Heh," Poseidon chuckled lowly, "A Mortal-Athena everyone." He loved getting in shots like this, call it retribution for all the other times that she'd done it to him... stupid bitch.

Athena rolled her grey eyes, that was just like her uncle.

 **"Apology accepted, Mei-san." Karasu replied with a respectable nod of his head. "You didn't know if you could put your faith in us." Wow, this was the most the auburn-haired woman had heard the black-haired boy speak the whole time he'd been with the Resistance. "Now you know you can."**

 **Mei nodded slowly. Having children talking to you like they were adults would take some getting used to** , **if she could ever get used to it. Really, what was that village feeding its youth?**

"Steroids," Hermes answered, his silver tongue making its self-known, "And lots of it from what I can tell." He shared a smirk with Apollo, the both of them holding an ice pack to their bruised eyes.

The both of them paused in fear as they saw the ever scary sister of Apollo, her eyes set into a warning glare. They could feel their immortal lives fleeing as she drew her thumb across her throat.

Gods... wasn't she just adorable?

 **"Did your general get the information he was tasked with recovering?" Neko asked, wanting to know if Nezumi had been used for nothing or not. For the purple-haired woman, breaking people out who were already defeated and imprisoned wasn't the best way to spend their time. She hadn't planned to spend too horribly long in this war-torn country. She had a special someone waiting for her at home after all.**

"Aww," Aphrodite cooed as she stared at the purple haired masked woman, "That's so cute!" She just wanted to grab the woman and cuddle her... and maybe get some one on one with her.

Hera sighed in misery... she hated Aphrodite with all her heart. On one hand, their domains complimented each other so well... and on the other hand... Aphrodite was a grabby whore who could not, and would not, settle just for one man. She was a terrible person, destroying everything that Hera had ever done just to satisfy her own desires.

If she had her way, she would strip the goddess of her domains and throw her into Tartarus to suffer for the rest of eternity. It would only be fair for all the pain that she had caused her family.

 **"Yes." A blue-haired man finally spoke up. "The factory is underneath Shio**. **" Ao revealed. "That bastard stuck it somewhere impossible for us to get to without losing too many of our own."**

 **Mei's fist hit the earth-made wall. "Damn it!" She all but snarled. "He really doesn't want to lose that damn place." She ran a hand through her long hair and sighed. "We really needed to hit that base. It's our greatest way to cripple his armies."**

 **Neko thought it was a smart idea. Taking out the man's weapons factory would slowly make his men's supply dwindle down, causing more of them to lose battles with the Resistance, not having the equipment to properly fight back. More deaths would lessen moral, which would then cause even more deaths. It was slow and subtle, but it was a smart move. The smallest of bug bites could fall a giant and Team Ro knew it. Nezumi was practically the epitome of that very saying.**

 **Very small.**

 **And very deadly.**

 ** _Very_.**

 **Saru looked at Neko, a silent request to speak. He was given it in the form of a nod. "Mei-san, if I may, I have a proposal you should consider." Nezumi smirked. Saru might not be very lazy, or constantly spam the word 'troublesome' like the rest of his clan, but the pineapple-shaped hair was a dead giveaway. The man was a Nara, through and through. And no other clan in the world could claim to be more tactically and strategically proficient than the deer-herding clan of Konoha.**

"Deer?" Artemis asked for clarification as she hadn't expected her sacred animal to be mentioned the story. It made her wonder if there was anything different between their animals and the ones that she hunted.

Humans had obviously evolved differently in that dimension, so what was to say that the same wasn't true for animals? Different dimension meant different rules for how nature worked.

Heh, for all she knew, a single deer could have six legs, four eyes and shoot fire out of its mouth.

"Correct," Truth confirmed, "The Nara clan is famous for three things." He raised three fingers, "The first one is their ability to control shadows. If you were to face one in battle, try and do it where there are little to no shadows." He lowered one of the fingers, "Trust me. You do not want to be touched by their shadows."

He grinned at Artemis, "The second one is this. They share a special bond with the deer that live in the forest behind them. They are the only ones that can enter the forest without being attacked. The last poor soul to go in there, that wasn't a Nara... poor guy." He shook his head in sadness, "Another thing to note is that they use the antlers of the deer to make natural remedies."

"And the final one?" Athena asked.

Truth rubbed the back of his head, "They are extremely intelligent. Hell, one Nara by the name of Shikamaru had an IQ well over 200." His face turned serious, "They are a clan to be feared. They are smart, powerful and capable of making plans on the fly. Basically... any mortal that gets on their bad side is fucked."

 **Nezumi turned his gaze to Mei and smirked under his mask when he felt her nervousness. "Mei-san," he began, "Saru is our team's greatest strategist. You should take whatever he says** **serious." He felt Saru's gratitude at the kind words. "It could help liberate your country."**

 **Mei nodded, not wanting to argue with the boy's words. She had underestimated the small cell from Konoha once already, and that had proven to be a bad idea.**

 **"What is it you wish to suggest?" She asked him genuinely. She wanted her home out from underneath Yagura's cruel reign more than anything. If she had to play nice with the Leaf then she would. Her ego meant little if her people continued to stain the shores red. Mizu was more than ready to leave war behind and enter the nice long vacation that was peace. Too many innocents had died already.**

"I take it back," Poseidon announced as a shit-eating grin spawned on his face, "She's Athena 2.0." He ducked under the spear that was sent flying at him, "Cause there's no way Owl Head would ever play nice with anyone."

Athena growled at him, her eyes set in a ferocious glare. If she ever got her hands on him, she would strangle him to death.

 **Saru once again glanced at Neko for approval. After seeing _Nezumi_ show her so much respect, he would be damned before he showed her anything but the same. His age didn't matter; the blond boy was Saru's hero. After receiving another movement of his captain's head to continue, the Nara ANBU operative began to explain the plans he had created in the seconds he had heard them bring up the problem they were facing.**

 **He knew it was a good idea to familiarize himself with the geography of Mizu no Kuni before leaving for the mission. That, added to his already brilliant mind, was truly nothing to laugh at. He wondered if this made him what Nezumi called a 'monster.' He sure hoped so.**

 **After his explanation was finished, Neko and Mei were confused when they saw Saru staring at the base's ceiling, obviously lost in his own thought, and Nezumi nodding slowly at said monkey-faced man in an approving manner. Why did the blond have both of his thumbs up? Did they miss something?**

 **Karasu, like always, was watching the happenings with indifference.**

The laughter that resounded caused the floor of the artificial dimension to shake. Even the chairs, that were bolted down, looked like they were about to be ripped out of the ground.

 **Nezumi sighed in content when he fell down on the bed Mei had said he was free to use, both mask and shirt forgotten on the floor. It was the most comfortable thing the young agent had felt in a long time. The ANBU's commendations were meant to be functional and nothing more. Comforting things apparently dulled the senses. Nezumi thought it was such a load of bull. He loved Hokage-jiji, he did, but the man was such a cheapskate.**

"Well... Kudos to the guy for having an excuse, especially one that no one can argue against," Apollo grinned. He himself had used such excuses when he was in the mortal world.

 **Another sigh left his small lips, the bed really was comfortable. He had a whole ten hours to rest his body for tomorrow's assignment, which relied heavily on him and Karasu.**

 **The rest was very welcome. The young blond was a juggernaut in many cases, stamina being one of them, but even he got tired. The small team had only stopped twice in the three day trip to Mizu no Kuni. They didn't even take a boat; Neko had the team run the entire ocean that lay in between Water Country and Hi no Kuni.**

 **Afterwards, he had been sent to singlehandedly take out an entire prison. Yes, he had volunteered to do so, but that was a moot point. The Resistance needed to be shown what they were given. He was the only one who could show them properly.**

 **So when the beautiful woman had accepted Saru's plans and shown them to where they would be sleeping for the majority of the time they were in Mizu – after the small tour of the subterranean base – the blond had been more than thrilled. When she revealed that they had separate rooms, he had been surprised.**

 **The woman must have been really impressed by his actions, because now she was treating them almost like royalty.**

Zeus nodded his head, "Power is might! If you have it, you should be respected and treated like a king." He never noticed the rolling eyes of his family, "And young Naruto has it in spades."

 **He may have been over exaggerating though, because even lower class citizens had their own rooms and beds. But it had been years since he moved into ANBU HQ and the small closet that was considered a room and the paper-thin mat he slept on was beginning to get old.**

 **He willed his eyes open, his ANBU training not letting him fall asleep until he inspected the room he was in. Even though he knew they wouldn't turn against them, the years of training had drilled into his brain that non-Konoha shinobi were always the enemy.**

 **He was in an average-sized room, the same color as the earth it was made from. The bed took up a lot of the space, being four times the size of his mat back home. Now that he thought about it, it was a bit strange. Why did he have a king-sized bed?**

 **He was in an average-sized room, the same color as the earth it was made from. The bed took up a lot of the space, being four times the size of his mat back home. Now that he thought about it, it was a bit strange. Why did he have a king-sized bed?**

 **There were two medium sized nightstands on each side of him, both having random things thrown on them like someone used them regularly; also confusing. The right side of the room had what Nezumi thought to be a walk-in closet. He couldn't tell from his position propped up on his elbows, but he would wager that it was full with someone's clothing.**

 **He didn't know why, but it seemed like he was given someone else's room. It could have been on accident, or maybe the person was gone for the night or was no longer with the Resistance. Whatever the reason may be, he didn't really care at the moment. He was exhausted and ready to drift off into slumber for the remaining time he had left for relaxation. In his tired state, he had forgotten to check on his team's position, like he always did when he was out of the village with comrades.**

 **Not five minutes after he had closed his eyes to try and relax did the door to his temporary room slide open. His eyes opened and he went upright. Of course he had to accidently be given someone else's room, nothing could just be easy, could it?**

 **Before he could sit up completely, he was gently pushed back down into the soft sheets of the bed covers. "Where do you think you're going, cutie?" A female voice purred in his ear. He immediately recognized the voice as Terumi Mei, the leader of the Resistance. If he couldn't feel the emotions of the woman he would already have killed her three times over by now. He'd never been so grateful** **of his abilities.**

"No... you don't think?" Hermes grin was infectious as Apollo soon joined him in grinning, "I mean... he's only six or something right? She's like what, twenty-five?" The two shared a high five, the boy must have been blessed by some sort of luck god.

The goddess of the hearth looked heavily scandalized, he was just a boy. Her opinion of Mei had just dropped so impossibly low that it could have been mistaken for the ground itself.

Aphrodite scowled at the scene, her eyes glowing pink. A handsome lad like Naruto deserved someone far more beautiful than Mei. There were far better catches in the sea... such as herself.

 **"I was going to go find myself a new room to sleep in." He replied with a perfect poker face. He couldn't afford to show emotion and give her the wrong idea. "This one obviously belongs to you."**

 **Mei tightened her grip on the** **boys shoulder. "Ah, ah, don't be so quick to leave a woman when she hasn't said what she wants to say." She purred in his ear again. He wondered if she actually thought she trapped him. She had to know by now that he was stronger than her, in every way possible. "It's just rude." She added after he was silent.**

"She's good... I'll give her that." Aphrodite grumbled to herself as she crossed her arms under her bust. The way that they bounced caused all the men to hold their noses so that they weren't knocked out by blood loss.

Though... the looks that they were receiving from the women was enough to make them wish that they had let the Titans win.

 **Her body and warmth did feel good. He may only be ten, but he was still able to admire the female body. It _is_ a wonderful thing after all.**

 **"And what is it you wish to discuss, Mei-san?" He asked politely. He knew how to keep calm and collected, even in a situation like this one. He tried his best to ignore when she pressed her substantial bust against his chest sensually, their faces so close he could feel her breath hit his warm flesh.**

 **"You seem to be a very mature young man, Nezumi-san." She replied, adding the respectable honorific to his codename for the first time since his arrival. "You must've been with a woman by now, even if you are so young." She continued, now rubbing her chest against his. "Am I correct?" She asked, giving off the feeling that she thought she was right.**

 **"You would be wrong, Mei-san." He eventually said. "I am still very much a virgin." He added clinically, talking like he was speaking about the weather or something else just as unimportant.**

 **The woman's purr was absolutely sensational. "Ah, so I'd be the first to taste this incredibly yummy looking flesh then." She licked the boy's bare neck. "Good."**

Both Hera and Hestia glared at the love goddess, they knew that she had something to do with Mei turning into a pedophile. It would take time... but they would make sure that she got her punishment. They'd allowed her to run wild for far too long!

Aphrodite, seeing the glares, scoffed, "I don't have anything to do with that. Even if I did... I'd make sure that it ended badly for Mei." In her head... she was kind of hoping that someone would kill or maim the woman. Rape, for her, wasn't out of the question either.

Truth, being all-knowing, couldn't help but be surprised. Aphrodite was reacting far more harshly than he had thought to the auburn haired woman. It made him wonder what would happen if he put the two into one room.

 **Naruto sighed; he really hated to have to do this. He took her wrist into his hand, gently guiding it away from his body. "I'm sorry Mei-san, but I cannot sleep with you." He sighed again. He really hated his abilities sometimes. "I feel I am too young at this time to have sex." He pulled her other hand off his body. "I hope you can understand." He finished, sighing once more.**

 **Mei pouted. "Don't be like that, cutie, it's normal for shinobi to have sex at young ages. Our lives aren't very long." She tried to reason with the boy. It was true, too, shinobi weren't guaranteed to live long in their line of work, and so releasing some of their tension through sex was a common occurrence.**

 **Still, Nezumi was ten, and most ten year olds didn't even know what sex was, never mind be interested in it. The Uzumaki really hated that he wasn't like most ten year olds at times. Right now being the case in point.**

"Are you kidding me?" Apollo gaped at the blond boy, "Don't tell me you're rejecting the bombshell of a woman!" No man, either mortal or divine, could resist such an offer! It didn't matter if he was ten, he was still mentally mature enough to appreciate such an event.

He winced as a hand slapped his head, its owner's silver eyes burning holes into Apollo's head. Times like this made her regret being born. She had to deal with such acts of depravity on a daily basis.

Truth merely smiled as he listened to the thoughts of Artemis. While she thought she had it bad, he'd seen far worse. He'd seen worlds were people ate their own children, where women were nothing more than objets. He'd seen worlds were women were the evilest thing to walk the face of the planet.

He'd seen it all.

 **It wasn't that he didn't _want_ to sleep with her, because he did, he _really_ did. It wasn't even because he was embarrassed about the size of his… equipment, because he wasn't; he _really_ wasn't. If anything, he was proud of his size actually. For a ten year old, for any age actually, he was more than adequate. He didn't know that he had his Uzumaki blood to thank for that not so small gift from God.**

"That's a relief." Apollo blew a sigh of said relief as he wiped the sweat off his forehead, "For a moment, I thought that he was gay." He had no problem with him being gay, actually now that he thought about it... Naruto would be more likely to want to have sex with Apollo if he were gay.

Aphrodite couldn't help but blush at the thought of Naruto having a big 'tool'. Really... she was starting to absolutely want Mei dead.

 **It really only came down to two things, one being the main reason for his refusal of sleeping with the beautiful woman. The first and less important reason was that she was still a Kiri-nin, even if she was trying to bring the current Mizukage down. That didn't really count though; Yagura was an ass who needed to die. The second and most prominent reason was the obvious one; his age. He had no childish thoughts about the act; he knew exactly what it was and was curious about it ever since he first understood what it was many years ago, which is why he was hating his abilities at the moment. He just didn't really want to lose his virginity at ten. It was just a personal preference, was all.**

 **"I know exactly what you mean Mei." He left the –san part out of her name. They seemed to be very personal at the moment and weren't in the presence of others. "If I was a little older then I would have happily taken you up on your offer." He tried to reassure her. He could feel her disappointment.**

 **"If it's about your size then worry not." Mei started, reaching under the covers and his pants at the waistline. "There are plenty of other ways to pleasure someone, size doesn't matter all that much to me." She was telling the truth, Nezumi could tell. "I won't tease you, I-"**

 **Anything she was about to say was cut off when she had the surprisingly _large_ manhood that belonged to the boy grasped in her hand. _'Okay, that's just not fair…'_ The auburn-haired woman thought when she recovered from her shock.**

 **Nezumi did chuckle this time. Yup, he really _was_ a monster, through and through.**

"Wow..." Aphrodite drooled at the scene... she was totally going to get her hands on that boy and have him screw her silly. She licked her lips in excitement... it was going to be so much fun, for the both of them.

 **He again grabbed her arm, taking her hand out of his pants and releasing her grip on his member. "That's not what I'm worried about." He said rather smugly. The look and feeling of shock and disbelief on her face was completely worth letting her grab a handful of what was between his legs. "I honestly think that I am too young for sex." When he felt that she finally believed him he was relieved. He didn't want to offend her. She wasn't the reason he didn't want to have sex. He just wanted to wait before he started that chapter in his life.**

 **Her next pout was genuine, after knowing what the boy was packing, he couldn't really blame her. "Such a shame." She sighed, getting out of the bed and walking into the closet for a moment. "I really was looking forward to getting to know you better." She called out from the closet. She walked out a short moment later in a rather revealing nightgown. "Oh well, I guess you can't have everything you want." She said softly, slipping into the covers next to him.**

 **Before he could get out from underneath the covers to leave the room and look for another place to lay his head, slim arms wrapped around his torso, pulling him into their owners embrace.**

 **"Um, Mei…" He began, slightly confused when the woman's legs wrapped around his own. She was successfully spooning him now. "What are you doing?" He didn't mind it too much, he just didn't appreciate being the 'little spoon.'**

 **"You said you didn't want to have sex with me." She began. "And I respect that, I do." She continued. "But if you think I'm going to spend the rest of the night alone after feeling your warmth you're sadly mistaken." She finished with a happy smile.**

 **Nezumi had the same smile on his face. He would be okay with that. Having someone to sleep with, actually sleep, was always the best way to do it. The warmth was a constant reminder that you weren't alone. The blond had only shared a bed once before with a client he spent the night with in a cave three months ago. They had been forced to take shelter for the night and the teenage girl had asked him if she could share a bedroll with him. He could feel that she was scared and was only seeking warmth and company, so he had given the girl what she wanted. He found he rather enjoyed it.**

 **"And in case you decide you want to take my body in the night, feel free to do so." She purred into the back of his neck. "Please." She added in a sensual manner, causing the boy to shiver. Damn, she found a way to get at him. He needed to find a way at her now. He smirked; she really didn't know what she was getting into.**

 **He was a monster, but he was a pranking _God_ as well, and he knew a challenge when he saw one.**

 ** _Let the games begin._**

"If he beats her, I'm making him my champion. The kid really is a monster in everything he does." Hermes joked, his blue eyes sparkling with the mischief that he was well known for, "Maybe he could even take my trickster domain. Gods know I have too many."

"No," Zeus stated, "If anything... I will decide the domains that he will receive, no one else. I don't need you morons giving him something stupid." His glare cowed the two gods.

Apollo and Hermes shivered at the look on their father's face, "Understood."

 **When Neko had woke up next to both Karasu and Saru in the small room the Resistance gave them for their stay in Mizu no Kuni, she had been slightly sore. The room was very small, just barely able to fit the three of them. She didn't know where Nezumi had spent the night but she wasn't too worried, the boy could take care of himself.**

"You have too much faith in Naruto," Hades said in a low voice, his eyes shadowed by his long black hair, "In this matter... he is not prepared for such things." All in all, he looked a lot like Darth Sidious when he was wearing his robe.

 **Her only real problem was when Saru's hand not so accidently landed on her body during the night, near her chest region. That pervert. She didn't mind sleeping next to Karasu, the young boy she knew to be an Uchiha – everyone knew who he was – was a perfect gentleman, allowing her to take the bedding with the most padding. Saru, however, was a different story altogether. She didn't like sharing a sleeping area with him at all.**

 **She didn't need to be up so early, she had another hour before she needed to get up, but she was always an early bird. She liked to get up and train a little in kenjutsu, just like Hayate-kun had told her she should, even if she was in another country.**

 **When she made it to the training grounds – Mei had shown her and the team the previous night – she wasn't at all surprised to see Nezumi – now clad in full ANBU gear – there before her. What did surprise her was that he wasn't alone. One Terumi Mei was currently sparring with her youngest comrade.**

 **From what she could tell, it was taijutsu only, but like everything else the boy did, he was the dominant one. To the auburn-haired woman's credit, she was holding her own pretty well. She was keeping up at the very least. That just showed that the woman was as powerful as they said she was.**

 **She went blow for blow with the blond, but Neko could tell that he was holding back, quite a lot, too. Mei obviously wasn't going all out either, but she was trying harder than the boy just to keep up. She could see the woman's playful smirk; she was enjoying the spar a little too much. What exactly happened while her kohai was gone during the night? She had the feeling that if he didn't have his mask on, she'd see the same playful look on Nezumi's face. Why were the two so chummy?**

Understanding dawned on everyone's faces. It was Ares who voiced it first, though, "I can't believe it! The bitch's actually jealous haha." He wiped a tear from his eyes, "And she says she has someone waiting for her! What a load of bull."

"I don't know what to say either... maybe... she sees him as a little brother?" Hestia suggested though it was obvious she wasn't comfortable with the subject, "I mean there has to be a real reason."

 **A right jab from Mei was blocked and then used against her to throw the woman to the ground. It was a clean and precise move, executed perfectly. What came after it was not so professional. The boy actually straddled the powerful kunoichi and bent down so that his mask was dangerously close to her face.**

 **Words that Neko couldn't hear were passed between the two, causing the woman to actually _blush_ , and then squirm out of his grasp. It was for naught though, his physical strength far surpassed hers, and she was firmly stuck. The temporary Ro-Han captain could hear the boy laugh before he _let_ her out of his intimate hold.**

 **She coughed to announce her presence, which she knew was not necessary, with the boy's sensory capabilities he knew where everyone in the whole base was, but she did it anyways. She knew he could feel her uncomfortableness with the whole extremely close contact that he was sharing with the leader of the Resistance, but she still thought it best to voice her opinion. He was ten for crying out loud.**

 **Before she could open her mouth to say anything however, he glanced over his shoulder at her, giving her a silent warning that he knew she would receive.**

 ** _I'll follow your orders, but do not forget who I am._**

 **Message received. Neko's mouth firmly shut, not wanting to risk her command for something she really had no say in.**

"Guess we know who holds the leash in this relationship." Dionysus's grin was wickedly sharp as his ever-changing eyes spun with wicked glee. It was times like this that reminded his family why he was a god and that he was no pushover.

 **"Neko-taicho, Nezumi-senpai!" She heard Saru greet them as he walked into the training room. She had never been so grateful to see the perverted Nara in her life. "Looks like we all got up a little early then." He said, Karasu walking in shortly after the words left the monkey's mouth, giving everyone present a respectful nod of his head in greeting.**

 **Nezumi gave Karasu a nod in greeting of his own. "It would seem so." The blonde replied, now standing at a proper distance from Mei. He had let Neko see their close and friendlier relationship only so that the team's captain knew everything that she needed to know.**

 **He wasn't going to give her any details, not only because there wasn't really anything to give, but even if there was, it was none of her business. What he did in his private time was his and his alone to know. His age aside, he was considered an adult by shinobi standards, having become one the moment he was assigned to the ANBU. He didn't really want the others to know though. Karasu would most likely not care, but that was beside the point. He and the Uchiha liked to keep their private lives private.**

 **Saru was the one he didn't want to find out. The man would never let him live it down, and he was positive the rest of Team Ro would know of his 'conquest,' which wasn't the truth, shortly after the Nara caught wind of it. He had no delusions that his team wouldn't believe _he_ turned down someone like Mei, so he decided to keep it quiet.**

 **"Well." Mei spoke up, picking up a towel and handing it to Nezumi. "I'm going to go wash off." She then took her own towel and wiped off the sweat from her brow. She bent down and whispered into the blond's ear, so that only he could hear her. "If you'd like to join me, you know where my room is." The woman was trying to mess with him again.**

 **Nezumi smirked under his mask. "Sounds wonderful." He whispered back, enjoying her surprised pause. "I'll meet you there in a few minutes." He added, feeling both her shock and excitement. He was looking right at her, but his face mask was blocking his mischievous smirk. It took her a few moments, but she finally realized that he wasn't being serious.**

"He is good," Hermes grinned, glad to see that Naruto was also a monster in wordplay. Already his mind was working out how to claim the mortal for himself, to create chaos amongst the mortals!

With Naruto, the famed trickster of the gods would be back in play! It would be nice to get back into shape regarding that domain... he'd been inactive for far too long.

 **Damn, he had gotten her good that time. He was obviously more skilled in the art of subtle, or maybe not so subtle, teasing. It was a good thing she liked the boy. If any other man tried to speak to her the way he now did she would have melted his face off with her Yoton. Or so she told herself. Denial was something she didn't have much experience with. She, deep down, knew that she could never harm the boy, even if she wanted to. He was on a different level than anyone she had ever seen before.**

 **Mei gave the blonde a look that said he won this round and walked away; making sure to sway her hips more than necessary, which both Nezumi and Neko didn't miss. "That woman is _Hot_ with a capital H." Apparently Saru didn't miss it either.**

 **Karasu chuckled lightly. The Uchiha knew who that little display of provocative walking was for. It didn't surprise him either; Nezumi was just the kind of person that people of all ages liked, in more ways than one.**

 **"Let us spar for the remaining time we have." Neko said, getting the attention of the three males she had under her command at the moment. "We don't want to dull our senses." That little remark forced Nezumi to remember Mei's offer last night. He really wished he was older and more prepared. Ah well, there would always be plenty fish in the sea later. And who knows, when he did age a little more, he might just get the offer for sex from the auburn-haired woman again.**

 **A monster could dream, despite popular beliefs.**

Hades snorted, "I wouldn't call them dreams." He still remembered the one time that he had entered the dreams of a monster. Poor thing could only think about killing and eating anything that wasn't a deity.

It was a real shame that he couldn't permanently kill the thing.

 **After the hour of training, the Konoha ANBU team found themselves in the large room they first entered upon their arrival to Mizu no Kuni. Sitting on one side of the large meeting table was Terumi Mei and Ao, on the other was Neko and Nezumi. Both Karasu and Saru were standing, letting their Senpai's sit as a sign of their seniority. It was strange to most of the Resistance, they all knew that Nezumi was the youngest, yet the boy had seniority over two older operatives.**

 **Word had already spread around the Resistance in the short time Nezumi had returned from Black Harbor of his actions. A lone boy had crushed the Kiri prison with ease, and that very boy was a Konoha-nin sent with three others to assist them with their cause. The people finally had another hero – Mei being their first – to look up to. Hope was slowly returning to the hearts of the Resistance, and it had been no more than sixteen hours since the ANBU arrived.**

 **After Mei had seriously considered Saru's plan, she had concluded that it was brilliant and simple. It wouldn't have worked however if everything he said that needed to fall in place didn't happen, or the super powerful blond wasn't with them. Fortunately, and rather amazingly, everything that the monkey-masked agent had said was necessary, did in fact occur.**

 **Mei was beginning to believe that all of Konoha's shinobi were in some way terrifying. The strategic thought process of the operative who came off as a pervert was absolutely mind blowing. The fact that his plan was incredibly simple and completely ingenious at the same time made the woman's head hurt.**

 **The plan was as follows: have Nezumi and Karasu attack several of Yagura's bases on every island physically possible in the span of a week. And, like Saru knew his Senpai would do at Black Harbor, allow three or four Kiri loyalists return to the Mizukage to report what was happening. Once word had reached Kiri and its forces that _children_ were responsible for the fall of so many outposts, not only would it lower morale, it would get the attention of the man they were sent to kill.**

"...It is a good plan," Athena said, although it sounded like it hurt her to admit it. She wasn't the type of person to compliment others, instead, choosing to curse anyone who was better than her at anything.

The reason was very simple. She was a sore loser.

 **Once Yagura was given so many reports of mere children destroying his forces slowly, he would be forced to intervene personally, falling right into the trap that was laid out for him. Once he was in Nezumi's sight, he would soon be gone from this world.**

 **It was simple. It was elementary. It was, in Saru's words, "untroublesome."**

 **Nezumi said he didn't spam the word, not that it was banned from his vocabulary.**

 **It would also allow the Resistance ample time to prepare for what was to come after the weeklong havoc spree. The destruction of the weapons factory would commence a few days afterward, and with that, added to all of the other chaos caused by the young ANBU agents, the Resistance would take their first real step in winning the war.**

 **Mei was overjoyed. Mizu no Kuni was so close to freedom and equality for all her people she could practically taste it. It was only a matter of time now, and not much of it. She really needed to find a proper way of thanking Konoha for sending her the knight in shining armor that went by the codename Nezumi.**

 **"So, we all know what our assignments are, right?" Mei asked, getting nods from all present. "Good." Her voice was low but everyone could hear her with clarity. "Let's send our enemies straight to hell." She finished with a smirk that Nezumi knew all too well.**

 **She had found her inner monster.**

"Trust me... if she'd actually found it... she would have been dead ten times over," Dioynus commented with a smirk, "Inner monsters are not something to be trifled with."

The boy was still too young to see the whole picture. Maybe he would learn one day... but for now... he could keep his naive viewpoint. It was more than enough to deal with the world of mortals.

 **The following week had gone off without a hitch. Nezumi and Karasu had been going from base to base, razing them all to the ground like it was a holy crusade. They were alone, the rest of the Ro-Han contingent staying with the Resistance, helping to prepare for the raid that was to come.**

 **It never ceased to amaze Nezumi how efficient Karasu was when in battle. The Uchiha was only thirteen and he was the closest to Nezumi out of the four that were with him in strength. The blond realized that he couldn't really say anything when it came to someone's age, him being ten and all, but he was a special case. He was born with a power no one before him possessed.**

 **Yes, there were other Sennin, but none of them were born so closely intertwined with natural energy like he was. So, for Karasu to show such prowess, with only the Sharingan to aid him, was no small feat.**

"The two of them are power incarnate." Hermes said with a small frown, "I'd hate to meet the person who gets on their bad sides." It would only be a matter of time before the rest of his family tried to get their greedy hands on Naruto, or even Karasu.

Closing his eyes, the god created a latent blessing that would activate should the boys ever step foot on the Earth. It was his way of preventing anyone from upsetting the balance of the universe.

 **Nezumi could feel his closest friend's heart; the boy was a pacifist – only taking lives so that he could protect his village. In a way, they were alike. Nezumi only enjoyed being a monster to protect his village. He didn't like to cause the innocent suffering. He was in a country torn by war to stop that very thing right now. He didn't like to hurt the weak or helpless either. He only enjoyed killing when the men and women he killed deserved it. People like Yagura, whom he was planning on adding to his already large and still growing body count.**

 **Where they differed though, was that Karasu never enjoyed killing – ever. He only did so as a means to an end. He knew the act of killing was an important factor in a shinobi's life, and he dealt with it instead of complaining. There were only a handful of shinobi that the Hokage could trust completely to do anything he ordered unconditionally, and Karasu was one of them.**

Ares looked torn. On one hand, he liked the fact that Karasu obeyed orders like a good soldier. What he didn't like was the fact that he didn't enjoy killing and didn't attempt to kill more.

Naruto, on the other hand, actually enjoyed killing others. The problem was the fact that he wouldn't abandon his morals or values. That made him both appealing and disgusting to Ares.

 **So they traversed the islands that made up Mizu no Kuni, bringing down to the ground any Kiri bases they could find. With Nezumi's extremely large sensory field, it was uncomplicated. Actually taking out the bases was like child's play. Without Karasu, Nezumi could have brought them down almost effortlessly. With him, the blond almost felt depressed at the ease they were able to finish their task.**

 **Mei was telling the truth when she described the Mizukage's plan for overwhelming the Resistance.**

 **Team Ro had been told that much of Yagura's armies were made up of very, very green genin. The man with questionable sanity had been promoting unready aspiring shinobi, the kind of people no _sane_ Kage would ever let into their ranks, to genin so that he could fill the empty spots the Resistance made in his forces. He was giving weapons to men and women, boys and girls, who had no business being a shinobi in the first place. They couldn't even use them properly for god's sake. It was sad, and it angered Nezumi to no end.**

 **The kind of person it took to send his people in the slaughterhouse like cattle was the kind of person that the young ANBU agent liked, _loved_ , to kill. His Hokage knew of this as well, and the wrath that was the God of Shinobi was already in Mizu no Kuni, in the form of one nezumi-masked ANBU operative.**

 **The man never should have touched a Hi no Kuni citizen. He would die for that now. Konoha would have her vengeance.**

"Good." Hestia's glare made even Hades pause. No one wanted a mad Hestia... that was a nightmare that made even Zeus scared. The last time that such a thing happened... well... it had resulted in the fire that burned down most of London in 1666.

The glow in Hestia's eyes was bright and powerful, "That man needs to pay for using children in his war."

 **"Nezumi." Karasu suddenly spoke. "This will be our last target before we have to return." He finished, his voice only audible to the blond. Even though they were friends, the two hardly ever shared words. It was like a silent friendship, each knowing what the other thought of them. In Nezumi's case, he actually did know what the Uchiha felt.**

 **"Hn**. **" Nezumi replied. He already knew as much. The week had been a slow one and the blond couldn't wait to return to the Resistance. Mei had told him that when he returned, he was welcomed to sleep in her bed with her again. She had enjoyed his company, too. Nezumi couldn't wait.**

 **They could see their target in the distance. Karasu activated his Sharingan. The walls were a light shade of grey. The exterior was reinforced with metals, three different kinds. The guard's tower had two men inside it. Both were of short stature, no older than twenty if their complexion was anything to go by. Fifteen traps set, they were getting nervous. Good. Inside the fortress, the walls were made up of some kind of hardened clay and wood. Flammable. The ground was nothing but earth. Good. The cobblestone they saw in the markets would have been inconvenient. _Conclusion; it's going to be just as easy as the other eighty_. All of this happened in the time span of three seconds. Itachi had mastery over the Sharingan most adult Uchiha couldn't hope to accomplish.**

 ** _Time to work._**

 **Karasu could see Nezumi take off his mask in his peripherals. The vicious smirk on his face told him all he needed to know. Naruto was awake. The monster was off its leash.**

 ** _Time to play._**

Truth smiled as he saw the scene, his red eyes flickering to a shade of blue that was quite strange on his form. This was a very good story. Maybe it was time that he brought someone else to this world?.

 **"You two were able to take out eighty one bases in a week?!" Ao sputtered unintelligently. He was stricken with shock and awe. That many bases would have taken the Resistance months to complete. These Konoha ANBU were terrifyingly effective.**

 **"Correct, Ao-san." Karasu replied. "Eighty one Kiri controlled outposts are no more." He clarified, the man's facial expression slightly amusing him.**

 **Neko gave a short nod. "Good. Now that we're so close to being ready to hit the factory in Shio, all of this should be finished up within the next week." It couldn't happen too soon either. She really missed her boyfriend.**

 **"Yes." Mei sighed contently. "And Mizu no Kuni will know war no more." The huge, heartwarming smile on the woman's face even made Nezumi smile. He was glad that he could help these people out in their time of suffering; they deserved it. When the blond thought about it, he realized how absurd it all was. A monster was the hero, setting a land free and saving its people. Ah well, nothing about him was normal, might as well live in irony.**

"Normal? What does that strange word mean?" Hermes joked. Personally, he thought that the word was cruel. Why should someone be confined to the norms that other mortals set?

He and Truth shared a nod, they both understood the importance of being themselves, no matter what others thought.

 **"Mei-sama." A woman Nezumi didn't recognize appeared from the entrance of the hideout. "A man is here claiming to be Jiraiya of the Sannin." The woman reported. "He's here to speak with the Konoha ANBU." She finished, giving Mei a deep bow before vanishing again.**

 **Mei raised an eyebrow. "Did Konoha send a Sannin to help me as well?" She asked Neko with an incredulous expression.**

 **Nezumi thought he felt his fellow sage. "It would seem so." The blond replied for his captain, already making his way to the entrance. He hadn't seen his sensei in a long time now.**

 **"Are you sure it's him?" Neko asked, also confused as to why the Hokage would send someone as renowned as the legendary Toad Sage to a place such as this. The man may be the most perverted human being alive, but he was still shown the highest form of respect, even from women – at times. He was a hero, an extremely powerful and, at times, wise man who helped in the last two Great Shinobi World Wars.**

"So you may be confused... but he peeps on women, no matter what they're doing," Truth admitted as he looked at all the females in the room. He was able to tell that they were angry, even without his unique status.

Artemis grit her teeth in annoyance... if she ever got her hands on his neck... she'd make sure that he spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

 **"It's him." Nezumi said excitedly. "I'd recognize my old Ero-sennin anywhere!" Mei giggled. This was the first time she'd seen Nezumi act, even if only a little, childish. It was a welcome sight; it reminded her that he was still human, capable of things besides death and destruction.**

 **The blond disappeared into the small tunnel that led to the hut above, and when he returned, sure enough, the aforementioned Sannin was with him.**

 **Neko, Karasu, and Saru all immediately bowed their heads. "Lord Jiraiya." Neko greeted. She was in the presence of a living legend.**

 **The man gave them a nod, allowing them to rise. "So." The Sannin said, taking a moment to look around the underground base. "What're you up to now, kid?"**

 **"Ah, you know, just a little mission Jiji wants done. What about you?" Everyone present sweatdropped. He was speaking so casually about something so important to someone so legendary like it was the most natural thing in the world, not to mention his completely disrespectful way of addressing the leader of Konoha. "You better not be here for your research Ero-sennin! In case you haven't noticed, we're kind of busy with a war right now." He added, narrowing his eyes at the older man underneath his mask.**

 **Jiraiya waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "Nothing like that, kid." He replied, smiling at his godson. "I just thought I'd come and see how you were doing. I haven't seen you in a while you know." He finished, using his large hand to mess up the boy's hair.**

 **Nezumi swatted the hand that was attacking his already messy hair away, mumbling something about old perverts. "Well, since you're here you can help us on our next assignment." The blond said with a smirk. "You can have a hand in freeing Mizu."**

 **Mei took this as a way to enter the conversation. "That would be wonderful, Jiraiya-sama." That was her first mistake. "With the help of both Nezumi and yourself, the Resistance is sure to win." Because now the pervert saw what a beauty she was.**

Aphrodite kissed her teeth... she was still far more beautiful than the auburn woman. She shot a glare at everyone that was snickering... this was not funny.

 **"Oh-ho!" Jiraiya shouted, steam seeming to rush out of his nose. "And what do we have here?!" His voice was now annoying Nezumi. "Such a beautiful woman as you should be sitting on a throne with a crown on her head, not in a place like _this_!" He used his hands to gesture to the earth-made base. That was _his_ first mistake.**

 **Nezumi was about to say something about him leaving her alone when the auburn-haired woman seemed to glide towards him. " _I_ made this comfortable base, Jiraiya- _san_." She said in a sickly sweet voice, causing the Sennin to shiver. "Are you trying to say that I am not proficient with Doton?" Jiraiya gulped.**

 **Nezumi chuckled before he rescued his terrified sensei. "Mei-san, we need him alive so that he can help us when it's time for the raid." Mei sighed, but relented.**

 **"Thanks, kid." One Sennin whispered to another.**

 **Nezumi shook his head. When was his sensei ever going to learn?**

Apollo shook his head, people like him, Zeus, and Jiraya would never learn. They were lovers and artists... they would not stop with just one woman, even if they wanted to. That was just not who they were.

 **"So, the crazy bastard sent their heads to sensei then…" Jiraiya repeated with his voice now serious. When he became like this, like the respectable veteran shinobi that he was, everyone paid attention to him. "That sounds like something sensei would send someone like you to retaliate for."**

 **Naruto – his mask was off and he was able to truly be himself in front of the man who had familial feelings for him – nodded his head in agreement. He knew he was the Sandaime's top operative by now, up there with Inu-taicho and Karasu. Whenever there was an important issue that needed to be handled, with a one hundred percent guarantee of success, Naruto was the person to be sent, especially when it came to missions that involved a lot of destruction and mayhem.**

 **"Yagura tried to play games with Jiji, which was not something he should have done." Naruto replied, rubbing the back of his head absentmindedly. "He'll soon know the consequences of his foolish actions." He finished, stretching his back with a resounding pop.**

 **"Death to those who purposely try to harm Konoha or her citizens." Jiraiya finished what his godson was implying.**

 **Naruto nodded, making his way to the door where he paused and looked back at the white-haired man. "Hell hath no fury." He whispered before leaving Jiraiya's personal room.**

 **He was tired, and he couldn't wait so share a bed with the beautiful kunoichi named Terumi Mei again.**

 **The blond's unfinished sentence was left to the breeze inside the base.**

 ** _Like a woman scorned._**

 ** _Konoha being the now blood thirsty woman._**

"I take offense to that," Artemis muttered as she crossed her below her chest. Sure women could be bitches, but they weren't bloodthirsty monsters. That honor belonged to people without a conscious.

Truth rolled his eyes as he shot the screen of, "And we've just completed chapter four." He got off his seat and stretched his back, a loud pop resonating through the room. He glanced through the room, multiple thoughts running through his mind.

Snapping his fingers, a portal formed. He walked to it and stepped through it, his head is the last thing to follow, "I got to go and take care of something. I'll be back in a few minutes."

* * *

 **So chapter 4.**

 **Let me know what you think of it.**

 **Um... this is a bit weaker than my last few chapters so apologies.**

 **Please check out my other stories, including Awakening of A Hero**


	5. Chapter 5

**So here it is - Chapter 5!**

 **I know it took a while, but I don't write fast guys. Doesn't mean that I've abandoned a story, just thinking how to make it work.**

 **The next thing for me to update is A Stranded Hero and** **Reading - Assassin's Creed: Transcendence. Those are my other main stories.**

 **Anyhow, I hope you guys enoy.**

* * *

A great portal formed in the room, causing the gods to stop from what they were doing, as Truth walked through it. His form was largely the same, except for the fact that his body had lost all its clothes.

There was nothing left to his body's modesty, and he would not try to change it. He was not like most men, not that he was a man in the first place. He didn't care about how women saw him and what they thought of his weapons.

He was everyone. There was nothing that they could see, or boast, that he had not done better.

Which was why he was pissed beyond belief. Who were those beings that thought that they could go and claim themselves better than he was? His anger was like a raging inferno as he stomped through the room.

He ignored the looks from the deities. What were they to him? Who were they to act like they cared? They were nothing to him! He was all of them, their powers derived from his very being. Without him... they would be nothing at all.

Anger, a primal rage that caused entire stars to go supernova, simmered deep within his stomach. He fought to bury it. He couldn't let it out... not while his being was connected to that of a mortal.

The entire universe would weep tears if such a thing happened.

"You ok?" Apollo asked, his sense of self-preservation shot to Tartarus. He didn't seem to realize the situation that they were in... or he didn't care very much. Apollo had always been strange like that.

Truth said nothing as he went to his chair, the one that was sat between Artemis and Athena.

"Let us continue from where we left off," His voice was sharp and powerful, cutting through the silence like a fine sword. There was an air of finality to it... something that made no one want to argue against him.

A familiar orb of energy formed in the palms of his hands as he focused on what he was looking for. With a strong throw of his arms, he sent it flying into the television that hung in the air.

 **Hero or Monster**

 **Chapter Five – Achievement**

 _ **When I play, I play to win. Whatever it takes. Nothing is too over the top. Such is the way a monster should be. I have many achievements and conquests, some big and some small. The size doesn't matter though, all that counts is that I take the victory.**_

Aphrodite smirked, "He isn't wrong. Size doesn't matter."

Artemis rolled her eyes. While she didn't like the innuendo that the love goddess made... that didn't make her wrong. Skill was the most important thing... no matter what others would say.

There was a reason that battles between Athena and Ares were often heavily contested. Ares was the better warrior, having knowledge in all forms of combat, both unarmed and armed. Athena, on the other hand, could make strategies that used the environment to her benefit.

To sum it up... it wasn't the weapon, but the user itself.

 ** _The day I stop winning is the day I stop being me. I am a monster, we don't lose. I'm the best at what I do, no matter what it is I'm doing. That is how it has always been, and that is how it always will be._**

 ** _I'm a monster._**

 ** _We don't know how to hold back._**

 ** _Just the way it should be._**

"It's in his nature to be a monster." Hermes mused to himself, "Just as it's ours to be gods. To be anything else... it would be a hellish nightmare." He could almost hear the fear in Naruto's voice. He didn't really blame him. He couldn't imagine being something... less.

Apollo shivered as he remembered being stripped of his godhood. That was something that he never wanted to relive.

 **Yagura, or Uchiha Obito, was frustrated.**

 **For the past two weeks he'd been receiving constant reports of how there were two _children_ destroying his bases around Mizu no Kuni. They couldn't tell for sure, but they were almost positive that they belonged to the Resistance. It annoyed him that the outlaws had acquired two powerful allies. They were more trouble than the entire Resistance combined. He had been fighting the bloodline lovers for years now, and never before had they gained such strength.**

 **He didn't really care about the stupid country at all, but the fact that he was being toyed with by two kids made him a little bitter. Who were these 'Demons of the Resistance,' and why did they show up now, out of the blue?**

 **It wasn't that he cared what they did to Kiri, but if they were good enough to mess him up here, they may prove to be a threat to his real goal. The Akatsuki was still in its recruiting stage, and they were not ready if they needed to start this soon with the Bijuu hunt. They had a few incredibly powerful members, but not enough to insure they could take on every village if they needed to. Madara had drilled the idea that being too careful didn't exist. You could never be too prepared, and if he let these two children live, they could grow into something too powerful for their exclusive organization to handle.**

"I like him." Athena smiled brightly, "It's always a good idea to get rid of your enemies before they can become a pain in the ass."

Poseidon coughed into his fist as he thought about the many times that Athena had failed to do that very thing. He ignored the glare from the wisdom goddess, it wasn't his fault that she thought that turning a woman into a spider, or snake, was a good idea.

It was like she hated her own kids. Which, knowing how she worked, could be very true.

"Bah!" Zeus scoffed, "As if the mortal could stop Naruto and his little friend. He won't even be a snack for the 'monster'." He hated seeing mortals try and stop that which could not be stopped. Who were they to defy the inevitable?

 **He wanted to stay in Kiri to handle the problem himself, but he was needed in Ame. He'd have to program Yagura to kill the threats himself if the opportunity presented itself. If he knew where even one of them was, he'd swarm them faster than bee's to honey. He really wanted those two dead.**

 **Having 'his' men tell him that they were being slaughtered by adolescents was beginning to annoy him. It was time to end this little problem.**

 **A swirl in the air around him heralded his leaving Kiri. It was time to check on the 'God' of Rain.**

"Another god?" Poseidon raised his eyebrow in interest. There was only one god that he knew of that met that requirement, the Shinto god Kuraokami, the dragon god of rain and snow.

It would be interesting to see if this new god was like Hiruzen, or an actual god.

 **The first thing he noticed was the warmth. Not the unpleasant, hot summer day warm. No, it was far from that. The warmth he was experiencing was the kind only another body could produce. The kind only someone you trusted could give you. It was intimate and innocent all at once, and welcoming, very welcoming.**

Both Apollo and Hermes whistled, their eyes wiggling in a suggestive manner. They themselves had been subject to such things before, with the women that had truly captured their hearts.

T'was a shame that they had only been mortal. Zeus hadn't been very loving in denying their request to make them immortal.

 **The gentle rise and fall of his warmth's chest against his back was the second thing he noticed. It captivated him, the pressure applied to him every time she took in another breath. The feeling was both firm and soft. Such softness shouldn't exist in this world. It calmed him** , **like it was his own personal paradise. He wondered if many others had felt this very same slice of heaven. It was his favorite spot as of this moment.**

 **How his body was tangled with his warmth's was the next thing his mind picked up. Their legs were touching, smooth creamy flesh meeting his own tanner shade. Her legs were longer than his, but they were still able to intertwine them together. Hers were as soft and smooth as her chest** , **if that was even possible. Auburn hair lay sprawled out on the bed, brushing his shirtless back.**

The male gods all smiled at that. The feel of a beautiful woman by their side as they slept was so amazing that they couldn't help but search for it every night. Sure it pissed of their female siblings/wives... but who were they to judge?

 **His warmth's arms were completely wrapped around him, locking together in a safe embrace. He could feel her warm breath on his neck every time she exhaled, reminding him just how warm she was. If he could, he'd stay like this forever, but that wasn't something either of them could do. Both of their tasks were much too important. Their countries needed them.**

"Duty over pleasure," Athena nodded her head. That was the true way of all soldiers, even if they were self-proclaimed monsters. It was a shame that Ares could never learn that lesson. Despite his dominion over all soldiers and the weapons that they wielded, he was nothing more than a warmonger.

 **He gently broke the lock of her arms, and untwined their legs, earning a groan of displeasure. He chuckled; she obviously liked their close slumber as well. "Just a while longer, Naruto-kun." The sleepy kunoichi mumbled, wanting to stay in her comfortable spot for as long as possible.**

 **After his little chat with Jiraiya last week, Naruto had told Mei his real name. He knew she was someone he could trust with that little secret. He could feel and understand anyone he wished just as much as they understood themselves. He knew that Mei actually cared for him, even if she wanted to care for him on a more romantic level.**

 **She had respected his decision of not wanting to have sexual relations with her, which relieved the blond greatly, and agreed to having just a closer than most friendship, which included, but was not limited to, sharing a bed. He was happy that she wasn't offended that he didn't want to have sex with her, and that she was okay with their relationship as it was.**

"Strangely," Artemis said, "A lot of women would not have been ok with the seeming rejection from a man, or woman." She'd met a few like that and she could honestly say that they were quite the worst. That was the reason that she killed them. Stupid grabby whores.

 **The last four days had the Resistance and Ro-Han waiting for the right moment to strike the weapons factory. They knew that there was a monthly shipment plan, where the factory would send the newly created kunai and shuriken to Kiri, which was the perfect opportunity. Shio was a larger village than most, and timing was crucial if they intended to pull off a clean hit-and-run operation.**

 **In the small** time **they had to relax, Naruto had spent the majority of it with Mei. They spoke a lot about what would happen with Kiri and all of Mizu no Kuni after Yagura was dead. The woman had many ideas for her country, which included peace treaties with the other nations. She had no wish to ever have to plunge her birthplace into war again. They had suffered the effects of war for too long already.**

 **Another topic they discussed was Naruto's incredible power, or as much as he was allowed to tell her, which wasn't much. He had explained that like Jiraiya, he was a Sage, just on a more potent level. He told her that he was born with his abilities, and had joined the ANBU when he was six, which shocked the woman greatly. He was the youngest assassin she ever heard of. It was incredible and so sad at the same time.**

 **"We have to get up now." He said softly, resisting her cute pout. "Or do you want everyone to find out that we sleep together?" He frowned. "With Saru _and_ Ero-**sennin **, we'd never hear the end of it…" That wasn't something he was looking forward to. He wanted to keep whatever intimacy he had, with anyone, as far away from his fellow Sennin as possible, or have his private life become the man's newest porn book plot. That wasn't something the blond would appreciate.**

 **Mei sighed in defeat. She knew they needed to get up before everyone, or they would find out their innocent enough secret. They weren't doing anything in her room, just friendly spooning, but neither of them** were **delusional; no one would believe them.**

 **She had no problems sleeping with Naruto, sexually or just for the warmth and company, but she didn't want everyone knowing it. She wasn't ashamed, she just needed her private life to stay private. She was the leader of the Resistance after all, and she needed to keep her powerful and deadly kunoichi reputation.**

 **"I really wish you were older…" She sighed. "If you were, we wouldn't need to hide," she paused, "whatever this is." She really wished they were closer in age, or at least that he was a little older so that they could have some _fun_ together.**

 **Naruto returned the sigh. "Sorry." He chuckled. "I didn't have any control over my conception." He gave another chuckle, this one dry and humorous. "I don't even know who my parents were." Mei gave the blond a sad smile. That was another topic they talked about. Neither of them knew their parents. In Naruto's case, he wasn't even allowed to know who they were. Mei's father had died at the beginning of the Third Shinobi World War, right after Mei was born. Her mother had died a year later, leaving the woman all alone in the world.**

 **"Well, I guess I can forgive you then." She replied, stretching herself against the large comfortable bed. Ever since Naruto had joined her in sleeping, she had been able to sleep better than ever. It saddened her that he would have to leave; she would miss his presence and warmth in her bed which was much too big for only her.**

 **"Good." Naruto smiled. "I wouldn't want you to be mad at me for the rest of the time I'm here." He said, also stretching. After the two got dressed and left one at a time, they returned to their places among the others.**

 **Saru was oblivious, as was Jiraiya, but only because he kept undressing the females of the Resistance with his eyes. Damn perv…**

 **Neko, however, knew that _something_ was going on between the two. What it was, she had no idea, but something was definitely happening. She held her tongue, though, knowing that she could risk her command. She didn't want the most powerful operative in her squad, in her village, to see her as nothing more than an annoyance. Karasu knew as well, it was obvious to him. They went off to sleep at the same time and Nezumi never slept with them. How everyone else hadn't figured it out confused him, but like everything else, he stayed quiet. He didn't like to pry into anyone's private life.**

"People are stupid like that," Hermes admitted, "Kind of like Athena at times. They focus so much on work that they tend to forget the obvious," He ignored the glare from the wisdom goddess.

 **"That sounds like overkill to me, kid." Jiraiya said uncertainly after his godson had explained the new plan to hit the factory under Shio.**

 **"We need to send the Mizukage a big enough message so that he'll show up himself." Nezumi replied, smirking underneath his mask. "I don't think anyone can ignore _that_." Jiraiya had to admit that, if anything, his beloved student's child was imaginative. Even he, the great Toad Sage, author of the greatest book series in the Elemental Nations, couldn't come up with the idea Nezumi had. It may have partly been because he didn't have the power to pull it off without his godson, but that was a moot point.**

 **Yagura was definitely going to show up in Shio, and once he did, he would die shortly after.**

 **"I agree." Mei spoke up at her side of the table. "If this doesn't cause him to show up then I don't know what will." She finished, giving Nezumi a small smile she thought only he saw, but having Neko and Karasu already knowing what to look for, it was clear as day to them.**

"I don't think she's heard of the word inconspicuous," Apollo smiled at the TV, "Ten bucks say she spills the beans." He shared a grin with Hermes, "Or at the very least, tells a close friend."

Hermes rolled his eyes, "That's a suckers bet and you know it." The messenger of the gods grinned, "I like it." He shook hands with Apollo, "May the best secret holder win."

 **"So when does this little play of yours begin?" The Gama Sennin asked, folding his arms in front of his chest. "Because I have things that I need to do." He added, giving Nezumi a look only he would understand.**

 ** _My presence is needed elsewhere._**

"He does seem like the type of person to be busy all the time," Athena noted with a curious look in her eyes. His spy network was something that intrigued her and it made her wonder if she could set up something like that with her own children.

 **The blond nodded, receiving the message with ease. "We should be ready to strike tomorrow, if all goes as planned." Neko replied. She was eager to get back to Konoha, she missed her lover. "I'm guessing we'll be out of Mizu no Kuni in a couple of days."**

 **Nezumi knew what Neko was feeling, and the woman knew he did too. She knew he didn't try and snoop on her emotions, he was just born able to feel others around him. It was still somewhat embarrassing though. He knew how much she… _craved…_ to be with Hayate.**

 **While she wasn't trying to hide their relationship, it was still awkward for her that someone knew her private feelings. If anyone, though, she was glad that it was the young blond, because he never used it against her or teased her about it. He let her feel the way she wanted and never brought it up, which she was eternally grateful for.**

 **"Once this little factory is destroyed I can leave, right?" Jiraiya asked with his gaze set on Nezumi. If the boy hadn't told Neko that they had a very close teacher-student relationship then she would have been bothered by how much he directed his questions to her kohai. "Yagura should be dead after that, so I won't need to be here anymore, right?"**

 **Nezumi could tell that whatever it was that his sensei needed to attend to was something very important. He knew his fellow Sennin was a pervert, always peeping on women for his newest porn novel, but he also knew that the man was a master spy, providing information for Konoha on a regular basis. In short, he was a busy man, and the war in Mizu no Kuni, no matter how terrible it was, wasn't his problem.**

Artemis groaned in disgust as she rubbed her temples, "Why is it that the best of mankind tend to have the worst habits?" The question was directed at no one as she knew that there was no adequate answer.

She crossed her nicely tanned legs, ignoring the stares from some of the males gods. Jiraiya reminded her of Apollo in many regards. They were both good men, though one was immortal while the other was mortal, with many flaws.

And they both had power in spades.

 **Nezumi shot Neko a look that said sorry, which was strange that she understood it considering they were both masked. "Correct. Once Yagura shows up, we can take it from there." The Uzumaki said, reassuring his sensei that he was free to go after the raid. He was upset that the man had to go so soon; they hardly got to spend any time together anymore. They were both very busy, Nezumi with his ANBU missions and Jiraiya with his spy network.**

"I wonder how that works exactly." Hermes mused to himself, "I mean... the old man get's the information and then Naruto goes and acts on it?" It was a brutal world that they lived in now that he thought about it.

The whole situation reminded him a whole lot of Sparta. Back then, kids were used a lot to kill political opponents... and other sorts. He had used a few back then as he knew that no one would expect a young child to be capable of murder.

Good times.

 **"Okay then!" The Sannin said with a smile. "We're all good to go!" He clapped his hands twice for good measure. "One dead Mizukage, coming right up!" He yelled a bit too cheery for Mei's liking. He was a bit too happy about ending the life of a Mizukage for her to be comfortable with.**

 **She would have said something about it, but then remembered what Naruto said, how they were both Sennin. Mei knew that Jiraiya was powerful, the man was a living legend, but she hadn't known just how powerful.**

 **The images of Naruto taking out Black Harbor raced through her head; she never wanted to fight something like that. Even if he did say he was more potent than the older man, even half of the power she witnessed that day would be terrifying to go up against.**

Apollo smiled brightly, "The student surpasses the master eventually." Very few mortals dared to try and surpass him... but the few that did tend to die painful deaths. Occasionally though, he'd take one of them as a student and tutor them in certain aspects of his domain.

"That should never be the case," Athena grumbled to herself as she combed Annabeth's blond hair. The poor girl... she'd have to live with the fact that her boyfriend was dead.

For Athena, it was very tempting for her to wipe the memories of Percy that lingered in her daughter's head. It would save everyone so much pain and heartache.

 **She made the choice to just let the old man be, not wanting to risk it. She wasn't scared of Jiraiya, she was just logical. If she tried anything with him, no matter how close she was to Naruto, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that he would crush her to save him. It might hurt him to do so, but he would. The boy was a Konoha ANBU through and through. His people mattered the most, above all else. That was one of the reasons she liked him so much, despite his young age.**

"I hope she does something to make him kill her," Aphrodite muttered to herself in an angry hiss. She didn't want that ugly bitch to get a happy ending.

 **"We'll attack early tomorrow morning, right when they're loading the boats. When Nezumi and Jiraiya-sama are done with the first wave, the Resistance will come in for a second." Neko continued. "My team will be set up around Shio to help the escape." Here, she looked at Nezumi. "That's when your last part comes in, kohai."**

 **Nezumi nodded. He knew what was going to happen, and he knew that Mei hated it with a passion. She knew how strong he was, and that he could take care of himself, but it would be almost like they were abandoning him, something she never did.**

 **The plan was simple: do something that Yagura wouldn't be able to ignore – destroy the base, hightail it out of there, and leave Nezumi behind. Once Kiri 'captured' the boy, he'd let them take him to the Hidden Village, where he would do what he did best; eliminate them.**

 **All of them.**

 **"Get some good sleep everyone." Mei ordered, giving the blond another warm glance. "You're going to need it." She finished, ending the meeting for the day.**

"And then they went and banged like there was no tomorrow," Ares joked as he put on a pair of dark sunglasses, "Nothing like a good war to get people horny. Ain't I right Athena?"

He remembered those few days where he would have Aphrodite go and sneak into the camps of the enemy men and instill great lust in their hearts. It had given him quite the advantage whenever he commanded his armies to attack Athena's own.

 **The two Sennin sat in the elder of the two's personal lodgings, speaking in private. They couldn't speak about certain things in front of the others, even the other members of Team Ro.**

 **"Are you ready for the other reason you're here, Naruto?" Jiraiya asked in a low and serious voice. This was something only he and the Hokage knew of. It was the most important secret in Konoha, even more so than the secret child of the Yondaime. If the other nations realized what was happening, they would be furious. It would mean total war, with Konoha at the center, besieged by all other nations.**

"A secret so important that it could lead to world war?" Zeus raised his eyebrow in interest, "What an interesting thought." There had been many secrets in his own life, from the day he was born to the day that he had freed his siblings and slain his father.

He was no stranger to them, no matter how much it annoyed his dear wife, so he understood the importance of not letting anyone in on it.

But this secret that Jiraiya was referring to... Zeus had a feeling that there was nothing quite like it in the world.

 **"I am." Naruto replied, once again in the presence of someone he could be himself with. "I'm not worried at all; it should be as easy as last time." He reassured the Sannin. "More importantly, when am I going to see you again?" He asked with a frown on his face. "You hardly ever come around Konoha anymore…" he folded his arms across his chest. "…I miss sparring with you." Naruto hated how well Jiraiya could read him; the Sannin could tell what he was feeling almost as if he had the same abilities as him.**

 **To prove his thoughts, Jiraiya gave him a knowing smirk. "Sorry about that, gaki, but you know my work is important." He sighed. "And you're not in Konoha all that much either." He added, causing his godson to chuckle.**

 **"I guess that's true." Naruto agreed. "Neither of us have enough free time." He added. He loved his job, it was the most important thing in the world to him, but he did wish that he had more time to spend with his precious people.**

 **"You should quit the ANBU then." Jiraiya said sarcastically.**

"No way he's going to do that," Hades stated in a knowing manner, "He's too devoted to Konoha to just leave the force like that."

 **Naruto narrowed his eyes and smirked. "Or you should quit your spy network." He retorted.**

 **The room was silent for a moment before they both busted out in laughter. They each knew that they could never quit what they both loved doing, which was protecting and serving Konoha.**

 **After a few minutes of laughter, the Sennin finally calmed it down just enough to talk to one another again.**

Hades smirked at being proved wrong. Actually, now that he thought about it... he should have made a bet of it.

"Wipe that smirk off your face," Demeter scowled, her beautiful smile having been wiped off. Her hatred of her older brother was not missed by Truth or anyone else in the room.

 **"In all seriousness though, if you do encounter some kind of trouble-" The Sannin was cut off by the blond with a wave of his hand. Naruto could already tell what he was going to say. It warmed his heart that the man cared so much for him to actually worry about him, but it wasn't necessary. He could handle anything that came his way. He wasn't cocky or arrogant, just confident in his abilities. He stopped being challenged by Jiraiya a year ago… he was sure he'd be fine here.**

 **"I'll be fine, sensei." He said again. "I won't be alone." He touched his stomach and smirked. "I'm never alone." He finished, causing Jiraiya to return the smirk. Minato knew what he was doing; sealing the Kyuubi inside Naruto was an extremely smart move.**

"Could have fooled me," Artemis retorted with a sneer on her beautiful face, "The man, whoever he was, had no regard for the well being of his own son. He was lucky that Naruto had the power to protect himself, or given the ability to understand what others were feeling. If he had not... who knew what could have become of the boy."

Truth frowned at the harsh words from Artemis, "Now that isn't exactly true." He ignored the raised eyebrow from the black haired goddess as he looked at the figure of Naruto, "His father was a man known throughout the Elemental Nations for being kind, smart, and powerful. He knew very well what he was doing when he sealed Kurama, sorry the Kyuubi, into Naruto."

He gestured to the stomach of Naruto, "By doing this, he was able to protect not only his son, but the village that he loved at the cost of his own life." He turned away from the screen and looked at the deities, "Tell me... could any of you do what he did?"

The silence was deafening as Truth stared at them, his red eyes staring into their very beings. He knew the truth... he knew that it wasn't in their being to do such good.

 **No one before Naruto was capable of harnessing the greatest of the Bijuu. Not even Kushina, with her special chakra and chakra chains, could control the chakra entity. And yet, her son could at such a young age. It was amazing.**

 **"I guess you're right, kid. I never really thought about it that way." Here, Jiraiya rubbed his chin with his right hand. "You know, that's really something you should be proud of." He smiled at his godson. "I know I am." His smile grew when the boy's eyes widened. He knew the blond always treasured the compliments he got from him more than others, for whatever reasons. Probably because he always treated the Uzumaki like an actual kid.**

 **After Naruto spent only a few seconds to recover from the kind words, he gave a heartwarming smile. "Thank you, Jiraiya-sensei." He brought his right hand to the back of his neck. "I really appreciate it, coming from you." He added. Jiraiya nodded. Both Sennin knew the other with great detail, even without the blond's special skills.**

 **They had a special relationship. Naruto could feel how the Sannin cared for him like family, which was odd for him at first, but he quickly enjoyed the warm, familial feeling coming off of the man. Jiraiya himself had the, sometimes annoying, ability of reading him like a book, which, admittedly, brought a smile to his face. They were both Sennin, capable of feats no other shinobi could accomplish, so they could both understand each other in a different way.**

 **Even if Naruto didn't know it yet, they really were like family.**

Apollo rubbed his chin, "So they are related... in some way." That was something that intrigued him. If Jiraya held some sort of relation to the boy-god, then where was he in the first six years of Naruto's life?

 **She could feel the sickening mark on her neck flaring with pain. Great, it was going to be one of _those_ days. Mitarashi Anko had been trying to have a nice and peaceful day at home when her curse mark started acting up.**

 **Her roommate, Yuhi Kurenai, was out on a mission with her not-so-secret secret boyfriend, Sarutobi Asuma, which made the apartment all hers for the next couple days. She liked being alone sometimes, just to get away from it all for a while. Kurenai was one of her few friends in the village that she could trust with anything and everything.**

 **When she returned from that bastard Orochimaru's island, where he tested her and then dumped her, she had been a little ostracized for her involvement with the Hebi traitor. A few years had passed and she was reaccepted into the village after proving herself to be loyal. And now, she was just another kunoichi of Konoha. No one saw the snake when they saw her, and she liked it that way.**

"Interesting," Artemis murmured to herself as she watched the strange flame-like patterns appear over the woman's neck and face. It was a rather interesting thing to see... a mark that grew and caused pain to the wearer. It almost reminded her of a control collar with how it seemed to work.

A snarl crossed her face as her teeth sharpened and her eyes narrowed. She would love to have a word with this Orochimaru fellow... after her wolves were done with him.

 **After Orochimaru, she had another problem. She liked to dress a little more revealing than others, which she only did to better express herself. It wasn't like she was some slut who'd sleep with anyone interested. Somehow, though, that was exactly the reputation she had built up.**

 **Anko was by no means a virgin, but she'd only slept with a total of three men in her entire life, and each one she had tried her best to date. It wasn't her fault that the relationships never lasted very long, men just couldn't handle her. She was wild, and liked to experiment when she did get a boyfriend, which she thought guys would like.**

Aphrodite sighed as she rested her right cheek on her well-manicured right hand, "Surprisingly, no my dear." She'd met quite a few people in her lifetime that were not as adventurous as herself and it disappointed her. Most of them tended to think along the lines of Hera, and sometimes Artemis, which made them real bores in bed.

 **She chalked it up to them just being pussies and held her head up high when they'd tell their friends how freaky she was in the sheets. That was a reason why Kurenai was one of the only people she could trust, the woman would always keep what she said a secret, even from Asuma, and never judge her for what she said.**

 **After the three guys didn't work out, the Snake Mistress wanted to see if a _woman_ could keep up with her desires. That was a dead end as well. It seemed like there was no one in the village who could satisfy her needs, _and_ be with her in an actual relationship, which she wanted.**

 **She didn't want just casual sex, she wanted a man, or a woman, to come home to and rest in their arms, or they in hers. Something, just someone that she could count on like Kurenai, but also have fun in bed with when it's that time.**

 **She didn't think that was too much to ask for.**

The male gods looked away, along with a few of the goddesses, as Hera, Hestia, and Artemis stared at their counterparts. To be honest... it was asking for a lot. They weren't comfortable with the idea of settling down with just one person... it wasn't who they were.

If Hera had her way, she'd force them to stick to just one partner and to chain themselves down like a mortal.

 **Today was a day of relaxation, a day to just push all of her worries and problems to the side, but that was now being ruined by the damn curse mark on her neck. It seemed that whatever she did, she was going to be miserable. She would always be stuck in this nightmare that was her life. She would always be alone, in pain, and depressed. She was not one of those girly girls, but right now, she wished someone would come in and sweep her off her feet like a princess, just this once. She wanted a prince, a knight in shining armor to come get her, to come saver her.**

 **As she lay on the floor, clutching at her neck as the tears poured with the amounts of pain she was in, both physically and mentally, she whispered four words that no one would hear but the wind. "Someone, please save me…"**

 **Like always, she was left by herself, crying in agony, waiting until the pain stopped.**

 **It never really stopped.**

Silver eyes turned away in sadness. Artemis knew that she could not do anything for the poor woman and it hurt her. It wasn't just the fact that it was another world, but that Anko wasn't a virgin. That put her out of the Virgin Goddess's jurisdiction, which meant that she had little power over Anko's soul.

Sometimes... she wished that the rules weren't so strict in who she could help. Such was the life of a goddess.

 **"I've been thinking…" Mei trailed off as she lay next to Naruto in her bed. They were in their innocent intimate position again. It was already time for them to get to sleep. They needed rest for tomorrow's Op. "Have you kissed a woman yet?" The blond could feel her excitement and hopefulness.**

 **"I have not." He answered, a perfect poker face hiding his amusement. "Why do you ask?" He almost laughed. He already knew why, and the woman's excitement increased. She really liked him.**

 **"Well, I know you don't want to have sex, but…" She trailed off, blushing slightly. That was new. Whenever they were in bed, Mei had always been… aggressive, and not really shy at all. Now the woman was all kinds of embarrassed, but still excited. Very excited.**

 **"Hmm?" He asked, trying to get her to say what it was that she wanted. He already knew, but it was funny to see how nervous she was. She really hoped he didn't decline this offer. And if it was for what Naruto thought it was, he was most likely going to say yes. He might as well have _something_ to show for his time with the powerful kunoichi.**

"You'd never think that he was just a child with how he thinks," Apollo grinned, his teeth shining like gold, "Reminds me of myself."

Hera frowned as she stared at the young boy on the screen. He was very much like Apollo, who was, in turn, an almost perfect replica of Zeus. The ways that they could think to get what they wanted... it scared the ever living daylights out of her.

 **"…if you would like to kiss me." She said it as a whisper, and Naruto would have made her say it again, like he hadn't heard it, to play with her a bit, but didn't have the chance to. His lips met hers so quickly that neither of them had the chance to react. He didn't know how much his body really wanted the auburn-haired woman. He pulled back soon after, a sheepish look on his face.**

 **"Uh… sorry." He said. "I don't know why I-" This time he was cut off when Mei smashed her lips to his, going in for seconds. They were so soft, he momentarily thought, like the rest of her. If all women were this soft then he couldn't age fast enough. He really wanted to be with one now.**

 **It was the woman's time to pull back, giving him a smile. "Don't apologize, just keep kissing." She said somewhat breathlessly. He laughed. The woman was really excited.**

 **Oh well. Might as well have a little fun. Kissing wasn't something he was against.**

"He's a fast one," Hermes grinned like a loon, "Didn't get that far till I was ten myself." He sighed with bliss as he remembered his fist love... or was it a fling? He couldn't really remember, not that it really mattered to him.

Lives were like flowers to him. At first, they look like they have promise, but in the blink of an eye, they wither into nothingness.

 **Jirou and Noboru were currently on watch duty. The two chunin hated to be assigned so early, but today was a big day. The shipment to Kiri was today, and nothing could go wrong. And with the 'Demons of the Resistance,' everyone was a little on edge.**

"They're screwed," Ares stated with no tact, his red eyes dim with disappointment. He could tell that they wouldn't be able to give Naruto a true fulfilling battle, they were too weak for that.

Such was the Curse of The Grunt.

 **"Do you think they'll come here?" Jirou asked, fear evident in his voice. Jirou was the younger of the two, with short brown hair and the traditional Kiri chunin uniform.**

 **Noboru had shoulder length black hair and the same uniform as his younger comrade, except his grey flack was unzipped. The man's grin showcased his shark-like teeth Kiri was so famous for.**

"Looks like even in that world, there will be people who take after you, Poseidon," Athena noted with disdain, her grey eyes narrowed in irritation. She hated seeing things that looked like they belonged to her idiotic uncle.

The Sea God said nothing as he stared at what appeared to be a mix of his people and humans. There was something about it that didn't set quite right with him... and he couldn't figure it out.

He shook his head as he put the thought out of his mind. It wasn't something that concerned him as it would have no influence on him in this world.

 **"Don't get paranoid on me now, kid." He scolded. "Now's not the time to be shaking in your boots." He rolled his arm, trying to pop his shoulder. "If they do show up, we'll be famous for killing Mizukage-sama's most hated enemies. Doesn't that sound like a wonderful idea?" Noboru always was delusional.**

 **"That does sound good…" He said, tilting his head up to dream about all the women they'd get to sleep with if they were considered heroes. Jirou was also delusional.**

 **When his eyes met the sky though, they widened in horror. He dropped the kunai he had in his hand and he slowly began to point at what he saw.**

"And Death greeted them with a smile as bright as the sun," Apollo smiled. He had a good feeling as to what it was that they saw.

 ** _Ten minutes before._**

 **The Resistance and Team Ro made it to Shio five minutes prior. Mei and the rest of her people were speaking to Ro-Han. Nezumi and Jiraiya were a little ways away, with the white-headed man in a lotus meditation stance and the blond standing behind him with his hand pressed against the older man's back.**

 **Nezumi had the ability to transfer chakra, even natural chakra, into another person. After spending so much time training with his godson, the boy had taught him a thing or two. With some effort, Jiraiya was able to reduce the time it took him to enter Sage Mode. He also no longer needed to rely on Fukasaku and Shima to assist him while in Sage Mode.**

 **When time was an issue, and he needed to enter the enhanced state, Nezumi could funnel natural energy into him, so all the Sannin had to do was stop the intake when he felt it was balanced with his own physical and spiritual energies. It cut the older Sage's time in half, making entering Sage Mode extremely easy. He still kept his toad-like features though; he was stuck with the imperfect version.**

 **It didn't take long for the two Sennin to rejoin the small army, in their respective Sage Mode's. Mei almost balked – they looked nothing alike. The only thing similar were their eyes, and even then it was miniscule. Both of their irises were burning bright gold, but Jiraiya's pupils were a horizontal bar, and he had an orange pigmentation around his eyes. Mei now understood why the man was called the Toad Sage; he resembled one to an incredible degree now.**

"Ugh," Aphrodite turned away from the scene, holding her head up high in disgust. The toad look was not one that she approved off, even if the eyes were charming. Plus those warts were just plain disgusting.

Athena rolled her eyes, along with Artemis, "Don't be such a baby." She found it to be quite interesting how Jiraiya was able to take on the slight appearance of a toad by channeling the planet's energy into himself. It was something that she would have to check out in her own private time, though she didn't have much hope for it as it was a completely different world.

Plus Gaea would be a real bitch about giving her energy away like that.

 **"We're ready." Nezumi said, nodding to Neko.**

 **"We'll get into position." Neko replied. "Give us two minutes before you start." Nezumi and Jiraiya nodded their heads. It was about to begin.**

 **"My men are ready." Mei informed. "We'll hit the base the moment your wave is complete." She finished, giving Nezumi a nod. She was still nervous and disliked the part of the plan that left her favorite blond alone with the tyrannical murderer.**

 **But it was a necessary tactic. No one besides him could handle taking on Kiri _and_ the Mizukage at once, and he didn't want to risk losing one of his friends. It may not have been all that long since he came to Mizu no Kuni, but he already considered a lot of the Resistance his friends. It was hard not to when you could understand everything they felt.**

"He'll make a good leader," Zeus commented with a slight look of surprise on his face, and something that looked like regret, "He is willing to put himself in harm's way, not that it would hurt him in any form, for the sake of his friends and family."

It was very hard to find people like that in today's world.

 **Nezumi returned the nod and was about to say something before they got the signal that Neko, Saru, and Karasu were in position to help pull off the escape. He sighed in annoyance but signaled back nonetheless.**

 **"You ready, kid?" Jiraiya asked. This op was his and Saru's idea, and it wouldn't work unless the blond was spot on. He knew it was pointless to ask, his family was always ready to bring a little chaos. Or in the blond's case, a lot of chaos; he never did anything without giving it his all, or most of it.**

 **Nezumi was silent for a few seconds. In the next moment, he took his mask off, a vicious grin on face.**

 **"Let's play, sensei."**

 **Noboru followed Jirou's hand into the air, trying to get a look at what terrified him. What he saw was… like nothing he'd ever seen before.**

 **"Senpo: Cho Odama Rasen Tarengan (Sage Art: Massive Rasengan Barrage)!" Was all they heard, and the sun was blackened. The sight was enough to cause Jirou to wet himself. What the hell was going on?**

 **A hundred blond boys, all looking alike, were falling from the sky like heaven's warriors, each with an extremely large blue spiraling sphere in hand. Noboru was somewhat of a sensor, so when he felt the… whatever it was falling down upon him, he was able to appreciate the power that was going to definitely kill them. When they drove their spheres into the ground, which just so happened to be right above the weapons factory, it felt like Armageddon was unleashed. The damage done was enough to completely rip the earth apart, exposing the large building beneath.**

"Damn," Hermes whistled, "Kid sure knows how to pack a punch." He hadn't seen such a show of power since Hercules got into a dick measuring contest with Poseidon.

That hadn't been a good day for the mortals of Ancient Greece.

 **Naruto laughed. It was a deep, vicious thing, and allowed his partner to do his part.**

 **"Senpo: Cho Odama Rasengan (Sage Art: Super Giant Rasengan)!" The Sannin shouted, driving his own large sphere into the exposed building, destroying everything under it. Naruto could hear the screams form within, and it excited him. He hadn't played for days, and this was the first time he'd ever played with his fellow Sennin. It was fun, like they were a tag-team, slaughtering their prey with effortless skill.**

 **He heard Mei's battle cry, signaling the Resistance to move in. He smirked; time to show the woman he made-out with last night why he called himself a monster.**

 **' _Kurama, you ready to join the fun yet?'_ He thought through his link with the mighty Kyuubi. He couldn't see the giant fox, but he knew there was an equally vicious grin on his face as well. He had his answer.**

Apollo stroked his chin, "Mountain, eh?" He didn't know if he liked the name... it was too Ares like for his own refined tastes.

Ares, seemingly knowing what Apollo was thinking, scowled at his sunny brother, "It's a good name!" He crossed his hands across his chest in what was obviously great anger. So what if his naming sense wasn't the best? It was still better than naming something after one's own domains.

 **Mei was cutting down the men and women in her path with practiced skill, trying to get to Naruto. He had said she was in for a big surprise during the fight after their… activities the previous night. She didn't know what else he could do to surprise her at this point, but she was really eager to see it. What else was he capable of? She had to know, she was fascinated by him.**

 **That's when she saw it.**

 **A giant red beam shot up into the sky, originating from the blond. There was an actual _pressure_ being forced on the shinobi in the area. The air was suddenly thick, and several degrees warmer. Everything was silent, until the bloodthirsty _roar_ rang out in the rubble. A version two Jinchuuriki was what emerged from the red-black sphere that appeared after the beam had dissipated. The shockwave from that thing managed to throw many of the ninja away. The roar itself put many on their ass, and some even passed out from the incredible fear the killing intent was causing.**

"Fuck!" Hades cursed, even in another world, he could feel the sheer pressure that the demon released. He couldn't believe that Naruto had something like that sealed up inside of him the entire time.

It just showed how looks could be deceiving. Even the smallest of ants could topple giants, here he glanced at what used to be Percy Jackson and sighed.

Artemis herself couldn't help but frown as she stared at the boy turned demon, her silver eyes weighed with something akin to interest. The form was rather interesting and she could see how the ground itself seemed to disintegrate in his immediate presence.

A dangerous form if there ever was one for Naruto.

 **Mei's heart had never beat so fast and loud in her life.**

 **In the ruins of the factory stood a miniature Kyuubi no Kitsune, in all of its version two glory. The white eyes pierced into her soul, freezing her to the spot. That's when the demon did the unthinkable.**

 **It smiled at her, finishing off the unbelievable action with a playful wink. Had she seen that correctly? Did a _demon_ just… _tease_ her?!**

 **Naruto roared with laughter, which was incredibly terrifying for everyone around, it being so beast-like and deep. She had asked for it when she started the teasing. He was the heavyweight pranking champion after all. He couldn't forfeit his title just because he met a pretty girl.**

 **With a burst of speed so great that not a single person could track him, he was gone, letting Kurama take over for his turn.**

 **It was only fair that he could come out to play as well.**

Hermes couldn't help but shiver as he watched the beast run across the battlefield, its white eyes causing something uncomfortable to settle within his divine soul. It made him wonder what Kurama suffered to have eyes like those.

 **Cold awe ran through Saru when he felt the Kyuubi's presence join the fray.**

 **Karasu was indifferent, having been up close to the ungodly powerful feeling of rage and hate.**

 **Neko sighed, shaking her head in exasperation. Did her kohai really need to let _that_ monster out? Wasn't the one underneath the mask more than enough? She knew he liked to be 'fair' with his little friend… that would never get easier for her to say.**

 **It was an awe inspiring shock that a child could harness such great power. But to call the strongest of the Bijuu his little friend was somewhat unnerving. He was speaking so casually about something that the entire world feared, like it was nothing more than the norm. It probably was the norm for him, which was why it was so unnerving.**

"Truth..." Athena's voice broke through the silence and anxiousness that filled the air as she turned towards their host, "Just how powerful is Kurama?"

Truth crossed his arms in thought as he racked his massive mindscape for the answer. The answer to the wisdom goddess's question wasn't as simple as she thought it was. Kurama's power came from the god that it was made from, so to understand Kurama's power he needed to understand the Juubi... something that was more than capable of destroying gods and Titans.

He shook his head, "That's not an easy question to answer, Athena. Kurama is power and as such, that means you can't label him by normal means... but strength wise... he can physically destroy mountains and wipe a country off the face of the planet at just half strength."

The gods, mostly Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, shared a looked, one that was filled with nervousness. That did not sound good at all. Sure they could do the same... but that was at full strength, where as Kurama could do it at just half.

There understanding of just how powerful Naruto was sorely lacking.

 **Another large spike of the Kyuubi's power could be felt. He really wasn't holding back all that much, was he?**

 **Neko sighed again. Her kohai really needed to learn the meaning of restraint.**

 **Again, another huge spike was felt. What the hell was he doing over there?!**

"Giving someone a really bad day," Apollo joked with a soft laugh. He couldn't help it... it had to be said.

 **If Mei hadn't spent all of that intimate time with him, who she now knew was the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki, she would have been terrified to the point of retreat. What the boy was doing right now was… slaughter. He was massacring the Kiri forces. There wasn't really any need for her or her men. Even Jiraiya had taken to watching from the sidelines, his face not expressing any emotions whatsoever.**

 **The Sannin had never seen the destruction his godson could cause, but he always knew it would be something on the scale of what he was watching happen to the Mizukage's men. If Yagura didn't show up with this, the man was either not right in the head, or really didn't care what happened to his people.**

 **Jiraiya highly doubted he could dismiss _this_ , even if he was one of the two. A Jinchuuriki couldn't ignore another Jinchuuriki, and one was right in the Mizukage's backyard. He had to come, and that would be his downfall. It was only a matter of time now.**

 **Another powerful beam of carnage shot from the version two Naruto, this time in a random area. He knew the young ANBU operative hadn't lost control; he just wanted to provoke Yagura into showing up as much as possible. Firing death rays off at random places was the closest thing the Water Shadow was getting to an invitation.**

"If this Yagura person is smart, then that's one invitation that he'll decline." Zeus stated with a small smile, though it looked strange on his normally strict face, "Screw politeness."

Artemis blinked, surprised to hear her father joke and curse at the same time... that just wasn't him.

 **After Mei recovered from her shock, she huffed. The cheeky brat was playing with her. He knew the plan didn't need the Resistance at all, but he, for some reason, decided to lead a teasing crusade against her after the first time they'd slept together. After that, they had both been in a playful game of back and forth, trying to make the other blush or, like in this case, shock them.**

 **She hated to admit it, but he had won all of their future battles of wits with that one little wink. He really was the self-proclaimed prankster god he said he was.**

 **When the smoke settled and the last Kiri loyalist fell, Naruto released his version two transformation, still smirking at the world. He could feel how the others looked at him now. They were scared of him before, but now they were absolutely terrified of him. He didn't mind all that much. It was the Konoha-born people he didn't want to fear him. The Resistance had nothing to fear from him, but he couldn't really blame them, he probably did look like a demon.**

 **"Okay, I get it." He heard Mei's voice coming up from behind him. "You win." She added, in a not so pleased tone. Naruto smirked again. He was very proud of his achievements. He then felt something that made him nervous. She wouldn't bust the both of them for the sake of her pride, would she?**

 **Terumi Mei brought her face to his in a passionate kiss, right in front of Jiraiya and the rest of the Resistance. She would. Damn. He really got to her with that last gesture if she would do this in front of the most perverse man in the world.**

 **Let it be known that Terumi Mei was not a person to go down without taking her opponent with her.**

 **He could already feel the old Sage raring up. Great, this ought to be fun.**

 **"Not now, Ero-sennin." He said before the pervert could open his mouth to say something that would make everyone there uncomfortable. "I can feel someone on their way here." He announced, his Sage Mode increasing his sensory range. "They're powerful." He continued, slipping out of Mei's reverse hug. "Incredibly powerful." He added, taking the mask off his belt.**

 **Jiraiya became serious. Good. This wasn't the time to mess around. He and the Resistance needed to get out of there right away.**

 **"Be careful, kid." Jiraiya said, turning his back to regroup with Ro-Han. "I'll see you soon, I promise." He finished, taking off, not turning to face the closest thing he had to a son. Naruto knew though, Jiraiya loved him, and hoped he'd be okay. It wasn't necessary, but it felt good nonetheless.**

 **He was about to walk into the ruined factory to wait for the Mizukage when he was stopped by a soft hand. "You better come back alive, Naruto-kun." Mei whispered, embracing him again from behind. "If you don't live to be old enough to have sex with me, I'll kill you."**

"Damn," Ares cursed to himself in disappointment, "She's a crazie... those always suck." He ignored the look from Artemis, so what if he voiced his opinion? She couldn't kill him for doing that. Although, knowing her, she would more than likely try.

"They aren't that bad... most of the time," Apollo told his brother. He'd had his fair share of experience with people like that and they tended to be the most fun in bed... when they weren't accusing him of cheating on them. Which truth be told, which he always did, was true.

Hera shook her head in irritation, her family was a big pile of disappointment.

 **Naruto thought his sleep buddy's logic was flawed, but didn't speak his mind. Instead, he broke the warm embrace, walking forward. He stopped before he jumped in and slightly looked at her over his shoulder, putting his mask back on. When he was masked, he jumped into the rubble of the underground building, not caring what was coming for him.**

 **Mei would never forget what he did when he paused.**

 **The smile on his face actually managed to make it feel a lot colder than it was. He terrified her. And she loved it.**

Poseidon smirked, "Hey look, Hades! He's trying to imitate you." He ducked under the blast of darkness that was shot at his head, "Actually, he's doing a pretty good job of it too. That smile _is_ terrifying."

 **Yagura had disembarked from Kiri the second he felt a Jinchuuriki's presence. So that was how they managed to bring so many of his bases down. He wondered for a moment why he hadn't been able to feel it before now, but decided to ponder it at another time.**

 **His enemy was practically begging to be caught, like they wanted him to come and collect their heads. That was fine with him. It was time he put the fear of the Mizukage in the Resistance. He'd have fun with this one. He didn't care if they were children, if they were old enough to kill then they were old enough to die. That was the shinobi way.**

 **That was the Chigiri no Sato (Village of the Bloody Mist) way. The way it was supposed to be.**

Hestia frowned at the man, her flame-like eyes dimmed by the sadness that she felt, "What a cruel world that they live in. A child should be able to live their life without losing the innocence that makes them children."

"That's how the world works, Auntie," The wine god told her without even looking up from his magazine, "Some people have just delt a bad hand in life... it's up to them to make the most of it." He glanced quickly at Naruto, "And the rare few that are born with power... well they can change the cards that they're dealt."

Truth smiled, "Aptly worded my good friend." With but a thought, the tv screen died down and the energy from it shot back into his body. He got out of his seat and cracked the bones in his body.

It was time for him to go and get ready for phase two of his plan.

* * *

 **So here is chapter 5.**

 **What do you think? Leave a fave and let me know what you thought in the reviews.**

 **Thanks.**


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